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 **Ge ...

- 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,

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 t ...

, 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 period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

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 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 deat ...

'' (''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 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 (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 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 Brazili ...

(1832–1855) * Fagundes Varela (1841–1875) * Casimiro de Abreu (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 (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 and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

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 peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

and Alfred de Musset, 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 emp ...

, the supernatural, Satanism, longing for death, past and childhood, and the '' mal du siècle''. 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

General characteristics

Main adepts

In Portugal

In Brazil

In Brazil

See also

External links