Sentimentalism

Definition

Sentimentalism is a literary and philosophical movement that emphasizes emotional responses and individual feelings as fundamental to understanding human experience. It advocates for the importance of emotions over reason, highlighting the capacity for empathy, love, and compassion in shaping human relationships and moral values. This focus on personal emotion connects deeply with the rise of individualism, the influence of Enlightenment thinkers, and the evolution of the epistolary novel format, which often explores characters' inner emotional lives through letters and personal correspondence.

5 Must Know Facts For Your Next Test

1. Sentimentalism emerged in the 18th century as a response to Enlightenment rationalism, promoting emotional depth as essential to human nature.
2. Key works within this movement include novels like Samuel Richardson's 'Pamela' and 'Clarissa,' which illustrate the power of emotion in human interactions.
3. The movement often critiques social norms and conventions, advocating for moral improvement through emotional experiences.
4. Sentimentalism played a significant role in shaping discussions about individual rights and personal experience during its peak in the 18th and early 19th centuries.
5. It laid the groundwork for later literary movements such as Romanticism, which further explored emotion and individual experience in art and literature.

Review Questions

• How does sentimentalism redefine the relationship between emotion and morality in literature?
  • Sentimentalism redefines the relationship between emotion and morality by suggesting that genuine emotional responses are essential for moral understanding. It argues that empathy and compassion arise from emotional experiences, leading individuals to act ethically. Literature from this movement often illustrates how characters' emotional journeys foster moral growth, thereby promoting the idea that feeling deeply is crucial for navigating moral dilemmas.
• In what ways did Enlightenment philosophers influence the rise of sentimentalism as a literary movement?
  • Enlightenment philosophers emphasized reason and rational thought, yet their discussions around human rights and individual experiences set the stage for sentimentalism. Thinkers like Jean-Jacques Rousseau argued for the importance of feelings in understanding humanity. This paved the way for sentimental writers to challenge purely rational frameworks by advocating for emotional truth as a means of exploring human behavior and ethics, thus intertwining philosophical thought with literary expression.
• Evaluate how the epistolary novel format enhances the themes of sentimentalism in literature.
  • The epistolary novel format enhances sentimental themes by providing an intimate glimpse into characters' emotional lives through letters and personal correspondences. This structure allows readers to engage directly with characters' thoughts and feelings, fostering a strong emotional connection. By capturing spontaneous emotional expressions and personal reflections, epistolary novels exemplify how sentiment shapes narrative progression, ultimately making emotional authenticity a central element of storytelling in this genre.

Related terms

Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another person, often seen as a crucial aspect of sentimentalism that fosters human connections.

Romanticism:

A cultural movement that emerged in the late 18th century, emphasizing emotion, nature, and individualism, often building upon the foundations laid by sentimentalism.

Epistolary Form: A literary style that uses letters, diary entries, or other forms of correspondence to tell a story, allowing for deep insight into characters' emotions and thoughts.