romanticism

["Devine, James" <jdevine@xxxxxxx>]

[was: RE: [PEN-L] Lisbon Earthquake 1755]
 
CC wrote: >...Although, since "romantic" is such a slippery (and infinitely expansive)
concept, it is equally true to say that it is neither the inspiration
nor the cause of anything, but just the name of everything. It is at
least arguable that marxism, modernism (Rilke, Pound, Proust),
post-modernism, bauhaus architecture, revolt against bauhaus
architecture, naturalism, are all just slightly different variations on
"romanticism." What does it mean, anyhow, to say that the Nazis were
"deeply rooted in the romantic." "Romanticism" can be made to explain so
much that it explains nothing at all in particular.<

I'm not into l*t-cr*t sh*t, but it seems to me that "romanticism" is a reaction to 
modernism/rationalism/empiricism/etc. Both are interpretations of capitalism, a 
real-world phenomenon (and not an ideology). Modernism said "hey, lookee 
there, we had (or are having) an industrial revolution in which rationality and 
science will improve everyone's lot, and will destroy theodicy, ignorance, 
superstition (including theism), etc., etc." 
 
In response, romantics said that the old ways weren't that bad; indeed, they were
superior in many ways. We need community, which might require a bunch of 
superstition to stay together, etc. And look at that Satanic Mill that's destroying 
England's mountains green! A lot of the conservative critics of capitalism are 
romantics, pointing to the costs that the modernists ignored and wanting to 
return to a golden age of the past. 
 
Though he was quite critical of capitalism (no news here), Marx wasn't a romantic.
I'd say that he agreed with the modernist view as far as capitalism creating the 
_potential_ for ending poverty, religion, ignorance, etc. But this potential wasn't
being realized because of the class nature of society. That point might be seen
as "romantic," but his view of pre-class society wasn't that it was superior. (It's 
quite different from the way that Rousseau saw the small town as ideal, etc.) Unlike 
the romantics, Marx looked forward_, seeing proletarian revolution as being the 
potential solution to capitalism's contradictions. To which the romantics would 
likely say "quelle horreur!" and join the modernists to defend the _status quo_.
 
JD