Frankenstein Romanticism

Societal changes and a shared response towards Rationalism paved the way for a new artistic style during the late 1800s: Romanticism. It first emerged in Europe, gradually gaining popularity until it reached its peak in 1855. At the time, the newly-appreciated style, while overall, covering a broad category, valued emotion over logic, emphasized the purity nature, and focused on the uniqueness and imagination of an individual. During the Romantic Period, literature gained some of its most famous works yet, including legendary works like The Scarlet Letter, by Nathaniel Hawthorne and Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley. In fact, Romanticism has heavily influenced how emotions and values are portrayed in popular music, art, and literature well into …show more content…
At first, listening to the song, it becomes clear that the speaker is narrating the story as it takes place due to the constant use of verbs in the present tense. For example, “It rises now before me ” (Kansas), and “The promised land is waiting” (Kansas). Furthermore, the speaker’s use of first person point of view provides the audience an authentic idea of the speaker’s perception and current emotion: “And with each passing day I feel a little more like something dear was lost” (Kansas). However, unlike the speaker and point of view, the setting is not as clearly defined. The song’s story mostly takes place within the mind of the speaker, as he contemplates while straddling an imaginary line between two different choices, both leading to two very different lives. Kansas’s line “The path that I have chosen now has led me to a wall” (Kansas), serves as an example of this. As the song continues, the speaker continues to struggle with his decision: “To pass beyond is what I seek, I fear …show more content…
The first characteristic is the importance of emotion. The lyrics display multiple times: “I feel a little more like something dear was lost” (Kansas). Because the line gives off an emotional longing. While the lyric, “I fear that I may be too weak” expresses a worrisome emotion rather than longing. Having such varying emotions keeps the listener intrigued in the lyrics. The song also emphasizes intuition over reason, another Romantic characteristic. “To pass beyond is what I seek...And those are few who’ve seen it through to glimpse the other side” (Kansas). In the end of the song, the speaker chooses to go to the other side despite the fact that ‘he fears he may be too weak’. Rather than choosing rationally he goes with his instinct, getting exactly what he