Examine the differences and similarities between European and Arabic Essay

Examine the differences and similarities between European and Arabic romanticism. Illustrate your answer with examples - Essay Example We might begin by distilling some of the central themes and features of the Romantic Movement in Europe. It first gained prominent in the later 18th century, as the Continent felt the pressures of rapid economic development, although it was with the industrialization of the 19th century that Romanticism reached its most influential period. Confronted with the transformation of life in Europe, with rapid industrialization and urbanization changing the very landscape, many authors, artists and others looked to strong emotion as a response, while the basic themes of literature were transformed. A preoccupation with nature in its wildest, untamed and purest form became a widespread concern in literary circles, while remembrance of a simpler, pastoral past was also a common subject. At the same time, there was a new focus on women and children, and on the heroic role of the storyteller or the artist as an important cultural figure, whose position should be exalted in society. All of this constituted a clear break with much of what had gone before it in European culture, but the issue before us here is whether this movement took on a similar character in Arabic literature, when a movement which has been characterized as ‘Romanticism’ arose there. A crucial difference between Arabic and European Romanticism is surely the time and circumstances of their inception. As noted above, European Romanticism was born of a period of extreme socioeconomic change in the region, and reached its height in the 19th century. Arabic Romanticism, by contrast, arose much later, with its zenith usually placed in the period between the First and Second World Wars. By the time Arabic Romanticism was having a major impact, European Romanticism had long since ceased to be a dynamic force. For example, al-Shadi was living in England as T. S. Eliot wrote, but was mainly interested in Victorian and Romantic poetry. Badawi (1985) formulates several possible reasons for the Arabic in terest in Romanticism rather than newer cultural movements in Europe. Chief among these is that it was still perhaps the most popular movement, and was ‘more spontaneous and emotional in its appeal’ (p.125). Perhaps they also identified with its aims, in making a break with previous European literary traditions, as they themselves sought to innovate in their own language. Also, Arabic Romanticism was at its height in a period of political, cultural and socioeconomic change for the Middle East, and shares that with the European movement. The circumstances were different for sure, with Arab nationalism and pan-Arabism, which flourished under European colonialism, as well as the rise of an urban middle class, being major changes, but movements found their roots in revolutionary periods. Of course, Arabic Romanticism, despite many similarities of theme and preoccupation, also differed in its aims. A major concern was its search for cultural identity, in a Middle East which was increasingly being westernized. The role of the Mahjar poets – those who had left for the Americas in search of cultural freedom and economic opportunity, also displayed some unique themes. A feeling of homesickness runs through many of their compositions. However,