Neoclassicism and Romanticism: two opposing literary currents

Neoclassicism and Romanticism were two literary currents that emerged at different times and are characterized by a set of their own stylistic and thematic features. Below are the most significant differences between both currents.

neoclassicism

Neoclassicism is a literary movement that originated in the XNUMXth century and had its peak during the Enlightenment and the French Revolution. It is characterized by following the stylistic patterns of ancient Greece and Rome, such as simplicity, clarity and harmony in expression. It is also a literary style that focuses on reason and logic, and an admission of science and technology.

Main characteristics of Neoclassicism

• Simplicity and clarity of expression
• Search for proportion, harmony and perfection in the work
• Subordination of emotions to reason
• Exaltation of the classical values ​​of ancient Greece and Rome

Romanticism

Romanticism is a literary movement that emerged at the end of the XNUMXth century and reached its peak in the XNUMXth century. It is characterized by expressive freedom, emphasis on the subjective and emotional, and imagination and fantasy as creative sources. It also focuses on individual feelings and experiences, the love of nature and the exaltation of the mystical and the irrational.

Main characteristics of Romanticism

• Assessment of the subjective and emotional
• Creative and expressive freedom
• Exaltation of nature and the wild
• Search for originality and spontaneity

In short, Neoclassicism focuses on reason and the logical, while Romanticism focuses on creative freedom and the emotional. Both literary currents have left an important legacy in universal literature and have contributed to shaping the literary landscape as we know it today.

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