By the mid-nineteenth century, the Romantic period in Europe and Great Britain was drawing to a close. What criticisms might artists and writers of this period have directed at Romanticism? What characteristics would you typically expect in the works of the late 19th century?

By the mid-nineteenth century, as the Romantic period was winding down, artists and writers would have had several criticisms of Romanticism. Some of the criticisms may have included:

1. Overemphasis on Emotion: Romanticism was known for its emphasis on intense emotion and individual experience. Critics might have argued that this focus led to works that were self-indulgent or overly sentimental, sometimes at the expense of rationality or social progress.

2. Lack of Social Engagement: The Romantics often focused on the individual, nature, and the sublime, potentially neglecting the social and political issues of the day, such as the industrial revolution and its effects on society.

3. Idealization of the Past: Romantics often looked to the past with nostalgia, idealizing medieval times and ancient cultures. Critics may have felt that this backward-looking perspective did not help address contemporary problems or advance new ideas.

4. Escapism: The romantic idealization of nature and the past could be seen as a form of escapism, avoiding the harsh realities of the modern world rather than confronting them.

As we move towards the late 19th century, we start to see the emergence of new literary and artistic movements such as Realism, Naturalism, and Symbolism. You would typically expect the following characteristics in the works of the late 19th century:

- Realism: A movement that aimed to represent subject matter truthfully, without artificiality, avoiding artistic conventions, implausible, exotic, and supernatural elements.

- Naturalism: An extension of Realism, Naturalism was more deterministic and aimed at a more scientific and even more truthful depiction of reality, influenced by the belief that one's environment and heredity are powerful determinants of character.

- Symbolism: This movement aimed to depict the underlying emotions and ideas symbolically through color, line, form, and composition, as a reaction against Realist and Naturalist concerns with the literal depiction of reality.

- Pessimism: A reflection of the growing disillusionment of the time, there was a tendency in the late 19th-century literature to explore themes of existential angst, the darker aspects of human life, and the complexities of the human psyche.

- Social Critique: The late 19th-century works often critiqued the social order, the depersonalization brought by the industrial age, and the plight of workers and women.

- Psychological Exploration: There was an increasing interest in the inner workings of the mind, laying the groundwork for modernist experimentation in both literature and art.

Extra: Romanticism, which flourished from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century, was characterized by its emphasis on emotion, individualism, and the glorification of all the past and nature, often preferring the medieval rather than the classical. It celebrated creativity and the artist as a supremely individual creator. Romantics believed in the importance of nature as a source of inspiration and the spiritual essence of the natural world.

The change in sentiments during the late 19th century was partly due to the profound changes in society during this time. The Industrial Revolution had transformed the way people lived and worked, leading to both incredible technological advancements and social challenges, such as urbanization, pollution, and a growing class divide. This shift in societal structure began to reflect in literature and art, as writers and artists moved towards more realistic and, at times, more pessimistic portrayals of life in their work. The advent of psychology also began to influence literature, with a deeper analysis of the characters' motivations and thoughts.

In the arts, Impressionism emerged during the late 19th century, which sought to capture momentary scenes and the effects of light in paintings, representing subjects with a degree of immediacy and spontaneity.

These new movements set the stage for the modernist experiments of the 20th century and the further exploration of techniques such as stream-of-consciousness narration, abstract art, and the breaking down of traditional forms and structures both in literature and visual arts.