The period of British Romanticism
was a time of large expansion in the use of the abstract in literature. This is
not to be confused with fantasy or fantastical elements. Fantasy has been
around for most if not all of literary history. Whether it be religious stories
of the exploits of the gods or St. George fighting a dragon, there has been
fantasy. However, these examples of fantasy are still rooted in concrete
reality. Lord Shiva’s presence on the battlefield is not questioned by the
people in the story. No one questions the existence of the dragon. They may be
fantastic, but they are not abstract. There is no question of the reality of these
elements within their respective stories. The Romantics begin to have their
characters question these elements, and even begin to examine the effects of
these elements, leading to layers of abstraction.
The
initial source of the abstract for the Romantic writers is the Supernatural.
The Supernatural is directly at odds with humanity. When the two cross paths,
negative reactions come out of humans. The Supernatural manifests itself, in
these works, in various ways from magical, unexplained anomalies to mental
activity. Regardless of the specific manifestation, however, there is a
pervading sense of obtrusiveness when discussing the Supernatural. The painting
“The Nightmare” by Henry Fuseli” illustrates this intrusion.
Fuseli
depicts this woman, either unconscious or dead at the mercy of two supernatural
beings or entities. The gnome-like, imp creature that sits on top of the woman
represents the emotional oppression brought about by the supernatural. This is
a relatively direct and simple symbol. However, the ominously voyeuristic horse
creature on the left is much more subtle and sadistic. This is that idea of the
supernatural being obtrusive and lurking around humankind. “The Nightmare” is
actually a very appropriate title, as one of the most sinister and a common
forms of the abstract, the supernatural, is, in fact, dreams. James Hogg in “The
Expedition to Hell” has a character go to the gates of Hell, find out he will
die by the next day, and go back, all in a dream. This prediction of death does
indeed come true, leaving the reader with the idea that dreams and in turn are
more palpable than originally thought. This is extremely important to the
Romantic view of the abstract. Just because it is abstract does not mean it
does not have an effect on humans. In fact, many times, abstract things are
actually part of the humans they plague, like the dream in “The Expedition to
Hell.”
Other
times, the abstract is something outside of the individual. In The Castle of Otranto, the abstract is a
very concrete, giant helmet which has absolutely no explanation as to its
origin. This helmet kills a boy, yet another direct message as to the possible
dangers of the abstract. Also, just like the previous example of the dream,
this abstract item had a very concrete effect on a person. Abstract occurrences
do not just have abstract effects, though. They also spawn more abstract
problems. In The Castle of Otranto, Manfred,
the father of Conrad, the boy who gets killed by the helmet, goes into a
panicked frenzy. This abstract occurrence, the helmet killing Conrad, inspires
this panicked frenzy. While this one is a bit more indirect, the point is the
idea that abstract occurrences inspire more abstract effects, not just concrete
ones. This insanity leads to the problems in the rest of the novel, and,
ultimately, the downfall of Manfred. In “The Brownie of the Black Haggs,” another
piece by James Hogg, the abstract comes in the form of Merodach who is possibly
a Brownie, a creature from Scottish folklore, referenced in the title of the story.
Merodach torments the lady of the family, Lady Wheelhope, into complete
insanity. Insanity is an abstract occurrence that, in this case, arose from
another abstract, the Supernatural creature, Merodach.
The
abstract effects of abstract occurrences are mental and emotional. Romantics
understood this and began to explore the extreme emotions, like insanity, and
to conclude that these emotions were as powerful as any other more concrete
forces. Manfred’s insanity and personal panic led to his downfall. Lady
Wheelhope and her insane obsession with bringing about Merodach’s downfall
brought about her end. In order to communicate these effects to the readers,
Romantic writers began to explore the uses of emotional tone in writing. In
many works, the plot is not as important as the emotional environment created.
Ann Radcliffe in Romance of the Forest
is particularly aware of this. She often uses epigraphs in the novel to
establish a particular mood, for example, at the beginning of chapter two in
volume one. She uses a quote from Horace Walpole to establish this ominous,
Gothic sense of fear and decay. By using this establishment of tone, a new
aesthetic is introduced which immediately alters the reading of the ensuing
chapter. The supernatural creates a very specific aesthetic experience, the
sublime.
The
sublime is a natural aesthetic response caused when the supernatural is
recognized within the natural. This causes the spectator or viewer to feel
belittled. When the imp from “The Nightmare” is shaped like a mountain, and
sits on the stomach of the innocent witness, it is difficult for the person to
not sense that feeling of being crushed under the huge weight. That crushing,
overwhelming feeling then turns into terror and despair.
This
painting inspires that feeling of terror and despair. The painting is “The
Great Day of His Wrath” by John Martin. As was mentioned in the presentation about
Aesthetics done by Brian Sherry and Mitchel Baccinell (hey that’s me!), this
painting is a perfect example of a representation of the sublime. The viewer is
supposed to naturally feel a sense of simultaneous fear and awe by looking at
this painting. At the bottom of the painting is a sea of people all lying on
the floor, in various states of death and half-death. Above them is a scene of
massive natural and supernatural warfare. The lightning bolt seems to be coming
from the heavens, and is striking a massive mountain, all while the people
cower. This feeling that the people feel is what the viewer is supposed to
feel. The topic of the painting, the inter-realm warfare that is happening, is
not important. The sense of belittlement and powerlessness is the important
thing in the painting. This same feeling comes up in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. After the men shoot down the
albatross, shooting down an innocent piece of nature, the natural world
combines with the supernatural to get revenge on the men. However, the plot is
told indirectly, through the ancient mariner recounting the story at a wedding.
The plot is not as important as the emotion inspired. The reader is supposed to
take the role of the wedding guest hearing the story, and is supposed to take
the emotions felt as well. Despair was the feeling relayed. However, there is
also the emotional state of the ancient mariner. He was in despair, before, but
now is alone and isolated.
This
isolation is another variation on the sublime feeling actually. The sublime
grants that sense of belittlement, which can become a sense of isolation. The
creature in Frankenstein feels this
intense feeling of isolation. The sublime is caused by the combination of the
supernatural and the natural to go against humanity. The monster is the
combination of the supernatural, the natural, and the human. The sense of
isolation is natural, as he has all of the factors combined. What is
interesting, however, with this sense of isolation is that it seems to be a
reflection of the feelings of Mary Shelley, the author. Mary Shelley’s mother,
Mary Wollstonecraft “died of puerperal fever” (Eleanor). In other words, her
mother succumbed to the natural world attacking her. Luck, a supernatural
force, left Mary Shelley alone, much like the monster was abandoned. The
creature is her way of venting these feelings. She understands the power of the
abstract, and chose to write about it.
Mary Shelley
was by no means the only writer to know this. Coleridge dealt with illness
first, then addiction to opium (Curran).The Romantic period was defined by this
knowledge of the power of the abstract. The most accessible form of the
abstract is emotional and mental issues, so of course people would revert to
their own emotions and experiences. After that, it was just a matter of how
best to convey the supernatural which so often causes the abstract reactions.
Hogg knew that folk tales would play on “the folk and their common belief in the
supernatural,” (Sandner).
The big
importance to all of this, then, is that the Romantics were able to put, in
writing, a radical idea which was just starting to take hold. As said by Robert
A. Scott, during this time there was a “radical switch from treating the mad as
animals in the 18th century to treating them as people in the 19th,”
(Scott). The Romantics were able to identify the power of the abstract, use
aesthetic tones to have people understand the vulnerability that everyone has
to these problems, and help push a thought process that formed the basis for
modern psychological thoughts on mental health.
Works Cited
Curran, S. N.p. Web. 8 May 2013.
<http://knarf.english.upenn.edu/Coleridg/bio.html>.
Eleanor , T. N.p. Web. 8 May 2013.
<http://people.brandeis.edu/~teuber/shelleybio.html
Extrapolation 48.1 (2007): 73,83,4. ProQuest. Web.
8 May 2013.
Psyccritiques 34.11 (1989): 989-990. PsycCRITIQUES.
Web. 8 May 2013.
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