“Solitude” of Romanticism: from “Melancholy” to “Absurdity”

Abstract

Abstract: “Solitude in the crowd”, which is considered as the fate of modern man, was positively representd by Romanticists for the first time through the melancholy image of “Child of the Century”. Henceforth, the conflicts between individual and society and between elite and mediocrity became a major subject of the modern literature in the West. With a probe into the connection between the notion of “solitude in the crowd” and the unique fate of artists, Romantists produced tragic legends about the obliteration of poets by the relentless society and the mediocrity that surrounds them. It is based on the Romanticists’ portrayal of eccentric characters, who appear to be both melancholy and paradoxical, that Kierkegaard redefined the notion of “solitary experience” as the individual essence or fate in his philosophical inquiry and developed it into a core element in the concept of “Absurdity”. Also, thanks to its persistent concern over the mental conflict and emotional paradox of the solitary individual, the Romantic literature clearly paved the way for the Existentialist philosophy to further elucidate the nature of “irrational man”.

Key words: Romanticism, solitude, melancholy, absurdity

Zeng Fanting. “Solitude” of Romanticism: from “Melancholy” to “Absurdity”[J]. Foreign Literature Studies, 2019, 41(3): 59-69.

References

[1] 安息孟:《孤独的哲学》.宁夏人民出版社,2006年.
[An Ximeng.Philosophy of Solitude. Ningxia People’s Publishing House, 2006.]
[2] 威廉·巴雷特:《非理性的人》.段德智译,商务印书馆,1999年.
[Barrett, William.Irrational Man. Translated by Duan Dezhi, The Commercial Press, 1999.]
[3] Barzun, Jacques.Classic, Romantic and Modern. Secker & Warburg, 1962.
[4] 夏尔·波德莱尔:《恶之花》.郭宏安译,广西师范大学出版社,2002年.
[Baudelaire, Charles.Les Fleurs du Mal [The Flowers of Evil]. Translated by Guo Hong’an, Guangxi Normal UP, 2002.]
[5] ——:《私密日记》.张晓玲译,湖南文艺出版社,2007年.
[---. Secret Diaries. Translated by Zhang Xiaoling, Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House, 2007.]
[6] 格奥尔格·勃兰兑斯:《十九世纪文学主流》(第一分册).张道真译,人民文学出版社,1988年.
[Brandes, Georg Morris Cohen. Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature. Vol. 1. Translated by Zhang Daozhen, People’s Literature Publishing House, 1988.]
[7] ——:《十九世纪文学主流》(第二分册).刘半九译,人民文学出版社,1988年.
[---. Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature. Vol. 2. Translated by Liu Ban Jiu, People’s Literature Publishing House, 1988.]
[8] ——:《十九世纪文学主流》(第三分册).张道真译,人民文学出版社,1988年.
[---. Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature. Vol. 3. Translated by Zhang Daozhen, People’s Literature Publishing House, 1988.]
[9] ——:《十九世纪文学主流》(第五分册).李宗杰译,人民文学出版社,1982年.
[---. Main Currents in Nineteenth Century Literature. Vol. 5. Translated by Li Zongjie, People’s Literature Publishing House, 1982.]
[10] 乔治·戈登·拜伦:《恰尔德·哈洛尔德游记》.杨熙龄译,新文艺出版社,1956年.
[Byron, George Gordon.Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage. Translated by Yang Xiling, New Literature Publishing House, 1956. ]
[11] 弗朗索瓦—勒内·德·夏多布里昂:《夏多布里昂精选集》.许钧选编,山东文艺出版社,2000年.
[Chateaubriand, François-René de. Selected Works of Chateaubriand. Edited by Xu Jun, Shandong Literature and Art Publishing House, 2000.]
[12] 本杰明·贡斯当:《阿道尔夫》.刘满贵译,上海人民出版社,2007年.
[Constant, Benjamin. Adolphe.Translated by Liu Mangui, Shanghai People’s Publishing House, 2007.]
[13] Ferber, Michael.ed. A Companion to European Romanticism. Blackwell Publishing Ltd., 2005.
[14] Grana, Cesar.Bohemian versus Bourgeois. Basic Books Inc., Publishers, 1964.
[15] Hemmings F. W.J. Culture and Society in France: 1789-1848. Leicester UP, 1987.
[16] E. T. A.霍夫曼:《克雷斯佩尔顾问》.《伊尔的维纳斯铜像》,杨武能主编,郑克鲁等译,贵州人民出版社,1997年,第1—24页.
[Hoffman E. T.A.“Rat Krespel.” The Venus of Ille, edited by Yang Wuneng, tanslated by Zheng Kelu, et al., Guizhou People’s Publishing House, 1997, pp. 1-24.]
[17] ——:《霍夫曼短篇小说选》.王印宝、冯令仪译,湖南文艺出版社,1996年.
[---. Selected Short Stories of Hoffman. Translated by Wang Yinbao and Feng Lingyi, Hunan Literature and Art Publishing House, 1996.]
[18] 弗里德里希·荷尔德林:《荷尔德林文集》.戴晖译,商务印书馆,1999年.
[Hölderlin, Friedrich.Hölderlin’s Collected Works. Translated by Dai Hui, The Commercial Press, 1999.]
[19] W.考夫曼:《存在主义》.陈鼓应等译,商务印书馆,1987年.
[Kaufmann, W. Existentialism.Translated by Chen Guying, et al., The Commercial Press, 1987.]
[20] 索伦·克尔凯郭尔:《克尔凯郭尔文集1:论反讽概念》.汤晨溪译,中国社会科学出版社,2005年.
[Kierkegaard, Søren Aabye.The Concept of Irony. Vol. 1. of The Collected Works of Kierkegaard, translated by Tang Chenxi, China Social Sciences Press, 2005.]
[21] ——:《克尔凯戈尔日记选》.罗德编,晏可佳、姚蓓琴译,上海社会科学院出版社,1992年.
[---. The Diary of Kierkegaard. Edited by Luo De, translated by Yan Kejia and Yao Beiqin, Shanghai Social Sciences Press, 1992.]
[22] ——:《或此或彼》(上).阎嘉等译,四川人民出版社,1998年.
[---. Either/Or. Part I. Translated by Yan Jia, et al., Sichuan People’s Publishing House, 1998.]
[23] 爱伦·坡:《爱伦·坡短篇小说选》.孙法理译,译林出版社,2008年.
[Poe, Allan.Selected Short Stories of Allan Poe. Translated by Sun Fali, Yilin Press, 2008.]
[24] 伯特兰·罗素:《西方哲学史》(下卷).马元德译,商务印书馆,1976年.
[Russell, Bertrand.History of Western Philosophy Part II. Translated by Ma Yuande, The Commercial Press, 1976.]
[25] Travers, Martin.An Introduction to Modern European Literature: From Romanticism to Postmodernism. Macmillan Press Ltd., 1998.
[26] 米歇尔•沃维尔:《死亡文化史》.高凌瀚等译,中国人民大学出版社,2004年.
[Vovelle, Michel.Cultural History of Death. Translated by Gao Linghan, et al., China Renmin UP, 2004.]
[27] Williams, Raymond.Culture and Society: 1780-1950. Chatto & Windus, 1958.
[28] 吴晓明主编:《二十世纪哲学经典文本·序卷》.复旦大学出版社,1999年.
[Wu Xiaoming, editor. Classical Texts of Philosophy in the 20th Century. Vol. 1. Fudan UP, 1999.]