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

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

- 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. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

-originated Dark Romanticism, 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, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate ...

, namely the value of

subjectivity Subjectivity in a philosophical context has to do with a lack of objective reality. Subjectivity has been given various and ambiguous definitions by differing sources as it is not often the focal point of philosophical discourse.Bykova, Marina F ...

individualism Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-reli ...

, amorous

idealism In philosophy, the term idealism identifies and describes metaphysical perspectives which assert that reality is indistinguishable and inseparable from perception and understanding; that reality is a mental construct closely connected to ide ...

, nature and the

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

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 António Augusto Soares de Passos (27 November 1826 – 8 February 1860), also referred to simply as Soares de Passos, was a Portuguese poet, creator of the "Ultra-Romanticism" in Portugal. Son of merchants and a follower of the Liberal ideas, hav ...

, 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 en, A Night in the Tavern) 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 ...

'' (''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 Condorism (in pt, Condorismo or ) was a Brazilian literary movement that lasted from the mid-1860s until the early 1880s. It is a subdivision of Brazilian literature#Romanticism, Brazilian Romanticism, being thus called "the third phase of Brazi ...

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

(1826–1860; considered to be the major Ultra-Romantic poet) *

António Feliciano de Castilho António Feliciano de Castilho, 1st Viscount of Castilho (28 January 180018 June 1875) was a Portuguese writer. Life Castilho was born in Lisbon. He lost his sight at the age of six, but the devotion of his brother Augusto, and aided by a retent ...

(1800–1875) *

Camilo Castelo Branco Camilo Castelo Branco, 1st Viscount of Correia Botelho (; 16 March 1825 – 1 June 1890), was a prolific Portuguese writer of the 19th century, having produced over 260 books (mainly novels, plays and essays). His writing is considered original i ...

(1825–1890) *

João de Lemos João de Lemos Seixas Castelo Branco (1819 – 1890) was a Portuguese journalist, poet and dramatist. Lemos was born in Peso da Régua. He was known as "the troubadour" (in Portuguese: Trovador) in Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a c ...

(1819–1890) *

João de Deus João is the Portuguese equivalent of the given name John. The diminutive is Joãozinho and the feminine is Joana. It is widespread in Portuguese-speaking countries. Notable people with the name are enumerated in the sections below. Kings * Jo ...

(1830–1896) *

Luís Augusto Palmeirim Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...

(1821–1893) *

Alexandre Braga, father Alexandre may refer to: * Alexandre (given name) * Alexandre (surname) * Alexandre (film) See also * Alexander Alexander is a male given name. The most prominent bearer of the name is Alexander the Great, the king of the Ancient Greek kingdom o ...

(1829–1895) *

Tomás Ribeiro Tomás Ribeiro may refer to: * Tomás Ribeiro (writer) * Tomás Ribeiro (footballer) {{hndis, Ribeiro, Tomas ...

(1831–1901)

In Brazil

(1831–1852) *

Junqueira Freire Luís José Junqueira Freire (December 31, 1832 – June 24, 1855) was a Brazilian poet and Benedictine monk, adept of the "Ultra-Romanticism" movement and author of ''Inspirações do Claustro''. He is the patron of the 25th chair of the Brazilia ...

(1832–1855) *

Fagundes Varela Luís Nicolau Fagundes Varela (August 17, 1841 – February 18, 1875) was a Brazilian Romantic poet, adept of the "Ultra-Romanticism" movement. He is patron of the 11th chair of the Brazilian Academy of Letters. Biography Luís Nicolau Fagun ...

(1841–1875) *

Casimiro de Abreu Casimiro José Marques de Abreu (January 4, 1839 – October 18, 1860) was a Brazilian poet, novelist and playwright, adept of the "Ultra-Romanticism" movement. He is famous for the poem "Meus oito anos". He is patron of the 6th chair of the Br ...

(1839–1860) *

Aureliano Lessa Aureliano José Lessa (1828–1861) was a Brazilian poet, adept of the "Ultra-Romanticism" movement. Born in Minas Gerais in 1828, he moved to São Paulo in 1847 to study Law, but received his bacharel degree at the Faculdade de Direito de Olinda ...

(1828–1861) *

José Bonifácio the Younger José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva (November 8, 1827 – October 26, 1886) was a French-born Brazilian poet, teacher and senator. He is known as "the Younger" ( pt, O Moço) to distinguish him from his grand-uncle, José Bonifácio de Andrada e ...

(1827–1886; in only a few poems, however) *

Pedro de Calasans Pedro Luziense de Bittencourt Calasans (January 29, 1837 – February 24, 1874) was a Brazilian poet, playwright and journalist, adept of the "Ultra-Romanticism" movement. Life Calasans was born in the city of Santa Luzia do Itanhy, in the Bra ...

(1837–1874) *

Laurindo Rabelo Laurindo José da Silva Rabelo (July 8, 1826 – September 28, 1864) was a Brazilian Ultra-Romantic poet, teacher and medician. Famous for his '' lundu'' lyrics and satires, he won the epithet of "the Brazilian Bocage", and, because of his physic ...

(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 and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a in-group and out-group, group of peo ...

and valorization of the

Indian Indian or Indians may refer to: Peoples South Asia * Indian people, people of Indian nationality, or people who have an Indian ancestor ** Non-resident Indian, a citizen of India who has temporarily emigrated to another country * South Asia ...

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 and works by

Lord Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and Peerage of the United Kingdom, peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and h ...

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 negative 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 empt ...

, the

supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...

Satanism Satanism is a group of ideological and philosophical beliefs based on Satan. Contemporary religious practice of Satanism began with the founding of the atheistic Church of Satan by Anton LaVey in the United States in 1966, although a few hi ...

, longing for death, past and childhood, and the ''

mal du siècle ''Mal du siècle'' (, "sickness of the century") is a term used to refer to the ennui, disillusionment, and melancholy experienced by primarily young adults of Europe's early 19th century, when speaking in terms of the rising Romantic movement. ...

''. Love and women were heavily idealized,

platonic Plato's influence on Western culture was so profound that several different concepts are linked by being called Platonic or Platonist, for accepting some assumptions of Platonism, but which do not imply acceptance of that philosophy as a whole. It ...

and almost always unrequited, and the presence of a strong

egocentrism Egocentrism is the inability to differentiate between self and other. More specifically, it is the inability to accurately assume or understand any perspective other than one's own. Egocentrism is found across the life span: in infancy, early chi ...

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 European literature Romanticism 19th-century Brazilian literature {{Romanticism