Friday, May 15, 2009

Romanticism - Entitled Opinions

Romanticism tends to figure in history podcasts about the nineteenth century. It is usually defined more as a state of mind than just a trend in art or philosophy. However, I never get away with the feeling that that romanticist state of mind is actually something so strong in the modern human condition, it is fit to refer to it more generally, also outside the realm of nineteenth century history.

The podcast Entitled Opinions seems to do just that. Or at least, in a first, but certainly not the last show - this is promised on air - on the subject the attention goes out much more intensively to picturing very carefully what exactly is this state of mind. The connection both the host Robert Harrison and Denise Gigante display seems so much alive that it just confirms my idea Romanticism is still here today.

The examples however do come from the nineteenth century writers and poets so even Harrison and Gigante do not necessarily agree with me. What they emphasize in this show is the fascination the romantics had with organic form and how they let this play out in their work. This was found not just in the content and not just in the form, but as Gigante tells us also in the way works were arrived at; constructed, or better allowed to growth into existence in an organic way.

More Entitled Opinions:
Sartre's Existentialism,
Five Free Favorites of Jesse Willis.