Sensibility refers to an emotional and intellectual responsiveness to the world, often characterized by heightened awareness and sensitivity to feelings and experiences. It emphasizes the importance of feelings, intuition, and personal experience in understanding art and literature, particularly in the Romantic period. This concept plays a crucial role in shaping the emotional depth and subjective expression found in works from this era, impacting how writers like Keats approached their craft.
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Sensibility was particularly important in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, influencing literature, philosophy, and art during the Romantic period.
The concept often contrasts with rationalism, as it prioritizes emotion and intuition over logic and reason.
Writers like John Keats expressed their own sensibilities through rich imagery and emotional depth in their poetry.
Sensibility shaped character development in literature, leading to more complex portrayals of human emotion and experience.
This term also reflects a cultural shift towards valuing individual experience, aligning with the ideals of personal freedom and expression prevalent during the Romantic era.
Review Questions
How does sensibility influence character development in Romantic literature?
Sensibility significantly influences character development by encouraging authors to create complex characters who experience deep emotions. This heightened emotional awareness allows for richer narratives where characters navigate their feelings in relation to nature, society, and themselves. Through this lens, writers can illustrate the internal struggles of their characters, reflecting the broader themes of individuality and emotional depth prevalent in Romantic literature.
In what ways did John Keats exemplify the concept of sensibility in his poetry?
John Keats exemplified sensibility through his use of vivid imagery, rich sensory detail, and deep emotional exploration. His poems often capture fleeting moments of beauty and evoke intense feelings, allowing readers to connect with both his experiences and universal themes of love, loss, and mortality. Keats's emphasis on personal experience showcases his belief in the importance of feelings over rational thought, aligning him closely with the ideals of Romanticism.
Evaluate how the cultural shift towards sensibility in the Romantic period reflected broader societal changes during that time.
The cultural shift towards sensibility during the Romantic period mirrored broader societal changes by emphasizing individual experience and emotional expression over Enlightenment rationalism. As people began to react against industrialization and its dehumanizing effects, there was a growing appreciation for nature, personal freedom, and subjective truth. This transformation allowed writers to explore new themes related to human emotions, identity, and morality, reflecting a collective yearning for authenticity in an increasingly complex world.
An artistic and intellectual movement that emphasized emotion, individualism, and the glorification of nature, emerging as a reaction against the Industrial Revolution and Enlightenment rationalism.
Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another, which is central to the concept of sensibility and is often reflected in Romantic literature.