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Summary Of Romanticism In The Sandman

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The Romantic movement throughout Europe was in response to the rationalism and Enlightenment movement of the 18th century. This time period was seen as a Segway between two time periods, the Enlightenment and the Romantic movement, creating a conflict between cultures. Whereas most of Europe was transitioning into a time of Romanticism, German culture didn’t accept the movement until later 1790’s, due to the thought that it was undermining the national identity. It wasn’t until a new generation decided to break away from established tendencies in the culture and focus on the unique experiences of the individual. Goethe previously encourages the movement in the development of the Faust figure which in many ways reflects change and Romanticism. The new modern age of the Romantics distrusted the Enlightenment views of reason as the supreme guiding force of human action and they sensed a new age was dawning. As these cultural conflicts arose, the publication of “The Sandman” came out, illustrating characteristics that advocated for the Romantic era ideals, while also contrasting rational views. Within the story of “The Sandman” and as well as in his other novels and stories, E.T Hoffman depicts a duality between dream and reality, as it is a motif for his own life. Hoffman insists of there being an irreducible heterogeneity and dualism between the two realms of what is reality and what is a dream, which is seen through the dispute between Clara and Nathanael in “The Sandman.” Within this publication, Hoffman begins with a dispute between Clara and Nathanael regarding the death of his father. It then transitions into letter that were written between that of Nathanael, Clara, and Clara’s brother Lothar. In one of the letters, Clara exemplifies her rational, clear-headed personality leading Nathanael to believe that his recollections were mere childhood fantasies and that all the horrors in which he recalls exist only in his own mind. Some of these horrors are depicted in the first letter written by Nathanael to Lothar who as stated, is Clara’s brother. Within this letter, Nathanael tells a story about a horrific story engrained in his mind from an incident earlier on in his childhood, where he was

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