Peckham's statements on the seemingly non-existent theory of romanticism got me thinking - is there a theory of romanticism? Of course, our class and this blog are devoted to the discussion of various literary theories, with romanticism being our literary topic of the week, but can we actually articulate a theory of romanticism? Or, if we can articulate a particular theory, what would this theory look like?
In Peckham's view, we can and should define a literary theory of romanticism. He writes,
It must be able to get us inside individual works of literature, art, and thought: that is, to tell us not merely that the works are there, to enable us not merely to classify them, but to deliver up to us a key to individual works so that we can penetrate to the principles of their intellectual and aesthetic being.
It seems to be true that through the articulation of a definitive theory of romanticism, one may able to unlock what it means to be divinely inspired, or more essentially, what it means to define something as being a part of romanticism. After all, the romantic movement is undoubtedly influential still today. This is especially true of Messiah College. Our English department at Messiah shows an influence of romanticism in their mission statement, in which they proclaim the study of English to be important because, among other things, it fosters and develops the imagination.
Of course, these words mean nothing if we don't understand and articulate a theory of romanticism. Peckham begins to define a theory of romanticism by looking at the world as dynamically organic - always growing and changing, a world where something can be learned from nothing. In this world of ever-changing ideas and growth, the imagination is "radically creative."
Peckham seems to be on to something here. Percy Bysshe Shelley in particular articulated the power of poetry on deepening a more meaningful imagination. I've already mentioned Messiah College's belief that English and poetry are essential to a developed imagination. Peckham believes that the Romantics rose up into their unconscious imagination, not delved down. This, of course, is central to theory of transcendentalism.
Finally, Peckham articulates the central view on his theory of romanticism. Romanticism is that which rebels against the static, moving towards a world of "dynamic organicism." Romanticism is that which prizes, in Peckham's words, "change, imperfection, growth, diversity, the creative imagination, the unconscious."
While I don't know that I agree with all of Peckham's views - "dymanic organicism" being a particularly hard pill to swallow- he does seem to hit on some valuable ideas of romanticism. Certainly in our class readings we have seen the importance of values such as growth, imagination, and the unconscious. It seems to me that the Romantics were always striving to do something greater, to be something greater.
Of course, I don't know that I am able to define a theory of romanticism any better than Peckham's attempt. I can only hope that as I continue to engage in my studies of literary theory, my knowledge and understanding of the theories of various forms of literature will grow and deepen (as the Romantics would have wanted).
3 comments:
romanticism grows out of static visions.a painted ship on a painted sea is a case in point.dynamism is introduced by the poet to give it a human dimension.
Morse Peckham died in 1993. He born in 1914 and taught for many years at the University of Pennsylvania (1950 to 1966) and the University of South Carolina (1967-83. In 1959 he published a variorum edition of Darwin's The Origin of Species--finally back in print. His theory of Romanticism was first given form in Beyond the Tragic Vision; The quest for Identity in the Nineteenth Century. It's a very readable and wonderfully learned--though not condescending book.You should read it if you really want to get a good sense of how his theory grew out of his reading of European and English literature. I studied under him at Penn his last year and his thinking and approach to art and criticism are sadly not appreciated.
Nothing can take over the original place that romanticism has owned since the 18th century because it is something very intrinsic and rooted.
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