| Nature is life. As flowery as it may sound, it is true. Nature surrounds us everyday. It is our environment. Despite human attempts to replace nature with concrete and buildings, it still thrives, covering houses in ivy and small weeds sprouting through cracks in the ground. Considering Romanticism, love of nature is essential. By analyzing how one sees nature, we can distinguish differences in Romanticism, realism, and classicism as well as distinguish their personality or feelings at the moment. In The Sorrows of Werther, nature is a motif. It reoccurs throughout the text and is very important to Werther’s life. In his letters to Wilhelm, Werther often includes a description of the landscape and scenery showing his strong observance of nature. In the beginning of the novel, he was content with his life and felt like he was at “solitude in this terrestrial paradise.” According to Romanticism, nature is an integral part of life. Although Romantics were enthusiastic, they were not interested in nature’s scientific aspects. For instance, Werther focuses more on its beauty than anything else. In one letter to Wilhelm he writes, “…the meridian sun strikes the upper surface of the foliage of my trees, and but a few stray gleams steal into the inner sanctuary…” Werther felt peaceful when describing nature. However, when he was not at harmony with his life he pays less to no attention to nature and is distracted by his problems. For instance, his letters become full with thoughts of Charlotte when he first meets her replacing all thoughts of nature. Therefore, Werther exerts views held by Romantics when referring to nature and its correlation with happiness. Followers of the Classic period, however, were not so optimistic about nature. This is illustrated by Voltaire’s Candide. Voltaire barely describes any scenery of trees, flowers, or grass. Instead, he focuses on describing dirty cities and the humans themselves. Written during the Enlightenment, this does not come as a surprise since individualism (also a Romantic element) was popular and encouraged. The only time Voltaire focuses on nature is in the end when Candide settles down with Cunegonde for the farm life. Classicism saw nature in its view of reason and formal rules. Nature was good for farming and the rural life. However, Voltaire has a Romantic element of “idealization of the rural life” |
