Comparative Analysis Through “The Four Attitudes Of Romanticism”

Arthur Lovejoy states, “The categories which it has become customary to use in distinguishing and classifying ‘movements’ in literature or philosophy and in describing the nature of the significant transitions which have taken place in taste and in opinion, are far too rough, crude, undiscriminating—and none of them so hopelessly as the category “Romantic”(History Guide). Morse Peckham breaks the Romantic era down into “The Four stages of Romanticism.” The word “stages” pertains to the attitudes, beliefs, and values of this era, rather than a chronological time of occurrence. The four attitudes are Analogism, Transcendentalism, Objectism, and Stylism (Dr.Griffin). By using “The Four Attitudes of Romanticism” a comparative analysis of “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” by Goethe and “Frankenstein,” by Mary Shelley can be seen. Even though all four attitudes are represented in both novels, there are instances where one attitude is presented more clearly in one novel over the other.

According to Morse Peckham, Analogism “was the use of the natural world…as a screen against which to project that sense of value which is also the sen

The last attitude is Stylism. Stylism is the individual’s created pattern of behavior. Morse Peckham states, “It is a person’s unique mode of arming himself against the surprises that every actual situation offers; it keeps one going when the social pattern does not work”(qtd. Griffin). Friedrich Nietzsche describes the problem with Stylism as, “There is no ground to value and no escape from history.. reality is history, and only the experience of reality has value, an experience to be achieved by creating illusions so that we may live and by destroying them so that we may recover our freedom”(qtd. Griffin). A person who creates a world of illusion around them selves either to live or to protect him or herself from reality, eventually has to destroy that world, because it makes their life a prison of lies. By destroying their illusions they gain a sense of freedom. Stylism is seen in Frankenstein and Werther. In “Frankenstein” Stylism is seen early on. Victor’s self-created pattern of behavior begins when he creates the monster. The reality hit him when he finished the monster and saw what he had created. This was a rude awakening for Victor. Victor said, “The beauty of the dream vanished, and breathless horror and disgust filled my heart”(Shelley 42). Living in reality, at this point, was just not possible for Victor. He much rather just forget the monster was ever created. He did for a while until the monster started killing his family. Victor felt that he would be freed from his horrifying exsistance if he could destroy the illusions that he had created surrounding the monsters existence, but to do this the monster would have to be destroyed as well. Similar to Victor, Werther creates an illusion around his life by using nature as a constant “balm for his soul” and Lotte as a love he is deserving of. He chooses not to look at reality, because if he did, he would not be able to blame “his beautiful surroundings” for his lack of artistic motivation. Not to mention that he would see that Lotte belongs to another, and in reality he should go on with his life. But Werther lived in Stylism and choose to create an unhealthy pattern of behavior that dwelled in blaming everyone else for his emotions. Typical of Stylism, Werther created his illusions and then destroyed them so that he would be free. This lack of reality leads to Werther’s view of freedom, suicide.

Objectism is the third attitude of Romanticism. Morse Peckham describes the individual as thinking “There is only the phenomenal,”

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