Romantic Concepts in "The Swineherd"

Although analysts of Romanticism note that the term is used to mean many different things to many different people, there are common elements to the Romantic traditions of various places and times, including "an increasing interest in Nature, and in the natural, primitive and uncivilized way of life; a growing interest in scenery; an association of human moods with the 'moods' of Nature; emphasis on the need for spontaneity in thought and action; increasing importance attached to natural genius and the power of the imagination; a tendency to exalt the individual and his needs and emphasis on the need for a freer and more personal expression" (Cuddon 588).

All of these aspects of Romanticism are present in Andersen's "The Swineherd." The most important element is the power, beauty and truth of nature and the living entities of nature, including the poor prince himself and the way he expresses his feelings

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e connected to Romanticism by the link between the individual and Nature. He does not approach the matter of his marriage as a logical problem, seeking a mate with whom he would be better and more reasonably matched, but throws himself boldly and imaginatively at she whom he desires. The rose and nightingale which the prince uses to try to woo the emperor's daughter establish the difference between the Romantic outlook and the non-Romantic outlook. It is telling that the rose is from a plant which grew atop his father's grave, as if this wonderful and mysterious flower had come from death, as if its power to enchant is rooted in its connection with life beyond death in some way: On the grave of the prince's father grew a rosetree, the most beautiful of its kind. It bloomed only once in five years, and then it had only one single rose upon it, but what a rose! It had such a sweet scent that one instantly forgot all sorrow and grief when one smelt it (Andersen). This transcendent power of Nature is at the heart of the Romantic position toward life and literature. Nature is seen not as merely a pleasant environment in which one might relax from the stresses of everyday life, but rather as a mysterious and powerful reality whic
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Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1843
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page)