Breckman, European Romanticism - A Brief History With Documents

Abstract

European Romanticism: A Brief History with Documents is another title in the Bedford Series in History and Culture. Well-organized and well-written, these books are designed for the student of history. Breckrnan's volume is another fine addition to this series. An eminently readable, forty-page introduction forms Part One of this book. Here Breckrnan defines Romanticism as a historical concept and considers its legacy, then moves to a discussion of its rise to significance in the years of the eighteenth and early nineteenth century. Individual sections follow: These examine the French Revolution's role as catalyst and the main features, but importantly the key similarities and differences, of the English, German, French, and European Romantic movements. Breckman then nicely links this cultural examination to Romantic Nationalism before providing readers with a concise conclusion that collects together the many strands of this broad, complex movement.