Ultra-Romanticism () was a Portuguese and Brazilian literary movement that took place during the second half of the 19th century. Aesthetically similar to (but not exactly the same as) the German- and

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...

-originated

Dark Romanticism Dark Romanticism is a literary sub-genre of Romanticism, reflecting popular fascination with the irrational, the demonic and the grotesque. Often conflated with Gothic fiction, it has shadowed the euphoric Romantic movement ever since its 18th-cen ...

, it was typified by a tendency to exaggerate the norms and ideals of

Romanticism Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century. The purpose of the movement was to advocate for the importance of subjec ...

, namely the value of

subjectivity The distinction between subjectivity and objectivity is a basic idea of philosophy, particularly epistemology and metaphysics. Various understandings of this distinction have evolved through the work of countless philosophers over centuries. One b ...

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote realizing one's goals and desires, valuing independence and self-reliance, and a ...

, amorous

idealism Idealism in philosophy, also known as philosophical realism or metaphysical idealism, is the set of metaphysics, metaphysical perspectives asserting that, most fundamentally, reality is equivalent to mind, Spirit (vital essence), spirit, or ...

, nature and the

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with the fall of the West ...

world. The Ultra-Romantics generated literary works of highly contendable quality, some of them being considered as "romance of knife and earthenware bowl", given the succession of bloody crimes that they invariably described, which realists fiercely denounced. In Portugal, the first Ultra-Romantic piece ever written was the poem ''O noivado do sepulcro'' ("The tombstone engagement") by António Augusto Soares de Passos, while in Brazil the first major Ultra-Romantic works were the books '' Lira dos Vinte Anos'' (''Twenty-year-old Lyre'') and ''

Noite na Taverna ''Noite na Taverna'' (in ) is a short story collection written by Brazilian Ultra-Romantic author Álvares de Azevedo under the pen name Job Stern. It was published posthumously, in 1855; three years after Azevedo's death. The book is structure ...

'' (''A Night at the Tavern'') by

Álvares de Azevedo Manuel Antônio Álvares de Azevedo (September 12, 1831 – April 25, 1852), affectionately called "Maneco" by his close friends, relatives and admirers, was a Brazilian Romantic poet, short story writer, playwright and essayist, considered to b ...

. In Brazil, it is called "the second phase of the Brazilian Romanticism", being preceded by the " Indianism" and succeeded by the " Condorism".

General characteristics

*Creative liberty (the content is more important than the form; grammatical rules often ignored) *Free versification *Doubt, dualism *Constant repugnance, morbidness, suffering, pessimism, Satanism, masochism, cynicism, self-destruction *Denial of reality in favour of the world of dreams, fancy and imagination (escapism, evasion) *Adolescent disillusion *Idealization of love and women *Subjectivity, egocentricity *''Saudosismo'' (an untranslatable word meaning homesickness or longing, approximately German Sehnsucht) for childhood and the past *A preference for the nocturnal *Conscience of solitude *Death: total and definitive escape from life, an end to suffering; sarcasm, irony

Main adepts

In Portugal

* António Augusto Soares de Passos (1826–1860; considered to be the major Ultra-Romantic poet) * António Feliciano de Castilho (1800–1875) * Camilo Castelo Branco (1825–1890) * João de Lemos (1819–1890) * João de Deus (1830–1896) * Luís Augusto Palmeirim (1821–1893) * Alexandre Braga, father (1829–1895) * Tomás Ribeiro (1831–1901)

In Brazil

(1831–1852) * Junqueira Freire (1832–1855) * Fagundes Varela (1841–1875) * Casimiro de Abreu (1839–1860) * Aureliano Lessa (1828–1861) * José Bonifácio the Younger (1827–1886; in only a few poems, however) * Pedro de Calasans (1837–1874) * Laurindo Rabelo (1826–1864) * João Cardoso de Meneses e Sousa (1827–1915)

In Brazil

The "Ultra-Romanticism" changed the ways of the Romanticism in Brazil. Values such as

nationalism Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation, Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: Theory, I ...

and valorization of the Indian as the Brazilian national hero, a constant theme of the previous Brazilian Romantic generation, are now almost, if not completely, absent. This new generation, heavily influenced by

German Romanticism German Romanticism () was the dominant intellectual movement of German-speaking countries in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, influencing philosophy, aesthetics, literature, and criticism. Compared to English Romanticism, the German vari ...

and works by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

and

Alfred de Musset Alfred Louis Charles de Musset-Pathay (; 11 December 1810 – 2 May 1857) was a French dramatist, poet, and novelist.His names are often reversed "Louis Charles Alfred de Musset": see "(Louis Charles) Alfred de Musset" (bio), Biography.com, 2007 ...

, among others, now focalizes in obscure and macabre themes, such as

pessimism Pessimism is a mental attitude in which an undesirable outcome is anticipated from a given situation. Pessimists tend to focus on the negatives of life in general. A common question asked to test for pessimism is "Is the glass half empty or half ...

, the

supernatural Supernatural phenomena or entities are those beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin 'above, beyond, outside of' + 'nature'. Although the corollary term "nature" has had multiple meanin ...

Satanism Satanism refers to a group of religious, ideological, or philosophical beliefs based on Satan—particularly his worship or veneration. Because of the ties to the historical Abrahamic religious figure, Satanism—as well as other religious ...

, longing for death, past and childhood, and the '' mal du siècle''. Love and women were heavily idealized, platonic and almost always unrequited, and the presence of a strong

egocentrism Egocentrism refers to difficulty differentiating between self and other. More specifically, it is difficulty in accurately perceiving and understanding perspectives other than one's own. Egocentrism is found across the life span: in infancy, ea ...

and exacerbated sentimentalism in the poetry is clearly noticed.

External links

Soares de Passos' poem "O Noivado do Sepulcro"
Literary movements Portuguese literature Brazilian literature Latin American literature History of European literature Submovements of Romanticism 19th-century Brazilian literature {{Romanticism

General characteristics

Main adepts

In Portugal

In Brazil

In Brazil

See also

External links