Sentimentalism

Definition

Sentimentalism is a literary and cultural movement that emphasizes emotion, individual experience, and moral sensibility. It seeks to evoke feelings of compassion and empathy in the reader, often showcasing the struggles of characters to evoke a strong emotional response. In the context of Russian Romanticism, sentimentalism plays a crucial role as it explores the depths of human emotion, spirituality, and personal connection to nature and society.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Sentimentalism emerged as a reaction against Enlightenment rationalism, prioritizing human emotions over reason.
2. In Russian Romanticism, authors often depicted characters in emotional turmoil, exploring themes of love, loss, and nature.
3. Sentimentalism influenced the portrayal of female characters, often emphasizing their emotional depth and moral strength in opposition to societal expectations.
4. The movement is reflected in various literary forms, including poetry and prose, often using vivid imagery and personal narratives to evoke strong feelings.
5. Prominent Russian writers such as Alexander Pushkin and Mikhail Lermontov utilized sentimentalist techniques to deepen their characters' emotional experiences.

Review Questions

• How does sentimentalism manifest in the works of Russian Romantic writers?
  • Sentimentalism in Russian Romantic literature often appears through intense emotional experiences faced by characters. Writers like Alexander Pushkin use rich imagery and personal narratives to convey deep feelings of love, despair, and longing. This focus on emotion allows readers to connect with characters on a personal level, enhancing the impact of their struggles and triumphs.
• Compare and contrast sentimentalism with romanticism in terms of their treatment of emotion and individual experience.
  • While both sentimentalism and romanticism emphasize emotion and individual experience, sentimentalism tends to focus more on moral sensibility and empathy towards others. Romanticism encompasses a broader range of emotions and often explores themes related to nature, spirituality, and the sublime. In contrast, sentimentalism is more concerned with evoking compassion for characters' struggles through relatable emotional experiences.
• Evaluate the significance of sentimentalism in shaping social attitudes towards women during the Russian Romantic period.
  • Sentimentalism played a crucial role in shaping social attitudes toward women by emphasizing their emotional depth and moral strength. Through sentimentalist literature, female characters were often portrayed as empathetic figures who experienced profound emotional struggles. This portrayal challenged traditional gender roles by highlighting women's capacity for intense feelings and moral reasoning, ultimately fostering a more nuanced understanding of women's experiences in society during the Russian Romantic period.

Related terms

Romanticism:

A cultural movement that originated in the late 18th century, characterized by an emphasis on emotion, individualism, and nature, often reacting against the rationalism of the Enlightenment.

Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another, which is often a key element in sentimentalist literature that seeks to connect readers emotionally with characters.

Melodrama: A dramatic work that exaggerates emotions and situations to appeal to the audience's feelings, often aligning with the principles of sentimentalism.