European Romanticism: A Reader - Hardcover

'This is an awe-inspiring volume. Not only because it is a real wrist-breaker of an anthology, but also because the concept behind it is truly ambitious... a collection of texts that is unique in scope and original in design...There is nothing comparable. Every library should have a copy, and every lover of Romanticism should have access to this anthology.'--Sanford Lakoff 'An anthology for advanced students and their teachers.'--Sanford Lakoff

Cultural diversity was an essential Romantic value. Previous English-language anthologies have tended to see Romanticism as predominantly British, even though the term 'Romanticism' actually originated in Germany, where it became the banner of a Europe-wide movement involving the profound intellectual and aesthetic changes which we now associate with modernity. This anthology is the first to place British Romanticism in a European context, showing how ideas and writers interconnected across national and linguistic boundaries. It aims to offer a new intellectual map of Romanticism, including key texts in both English and their original language, arranged by major themes: Art & Aesthetics; The Self; History; Language; Hermeneutics & Theology; Nature; The Exotic; Science. While focusing on the manifestations of European romanticism, the inclusion of essays on the North American and Japanese reception means that Romanticism can be seen ultimately as a global phenomenon, influencing a surprising number of the ways in which the modern world sees itself.