The Romantic era began with the desire to create something new and enjoyable, and to leave classicism in the past. Parker explains that “romanticism is the art of presenting to people those literary works which...are capable of giving them the greatest possible pleasure; classicism, on the contrary, to present to them what gave the greatest possible pleasure to their grandfathers” (Parker 307). Parker thus sums up the mood that fueled the Romantics, characterized by the need to create from their own imagination, not that of their ancestors. Romanticism is characterized in many ways and ranges from the foundations of art to literature to music to philosophy – anything that requires creation. The ideals of Romanticism, in addition to creating something new, encompass individualism, imagination, beauty, love, nature, the supernatural, the sublime, organicism, the Byronic hero and many others. still others depending on the creator. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayHowever, Parker precisely identifies the dominant and most recurring traits of romanticism: “The essential elements of the romantic spirit are curiosity and love of beauty. » (Parker 308). Imagination and beauty, most often in nature, are found as strong points among romantic authors, Victor Hugo being a great herald of these ideals. Influenced by his own experiences during the French Revolution, his eventual exile, and the loss of loved ones, Hugo created Les Miserables as a manifestation of all that is romantic, in an effort to educate and inspire emotion . He writes, in the preface to his novel: “As long as there exists, due to law and custom, a social condemnation which, in the midst of civilization, artificially creates a hell on earth and complicates human inevitability. divine destiny; as long as the three problems of the century – the degradation of man by the exploitation of his work, the ruin of women by famine and the atrophy of childhood by physical and spiritual night – are not resolved; , in certain regions, social asphyxiation will be possible... as long as ignorance and misery remain on earth, there should be a need for books like this" (Hugo 21). Hugo recognized his duty to poet, to instruct and legislate thanks to his writing ability (often considered divine). Hugo addresses a large number of subjects in his novel, emphasizing some fundamental values ​​of romanticism: nature, individualism. and imagination, using character development and conflict In Romanticism, nature is perhaps the most recurring theme and is evident throughout Les Misérables. In emphasizing the importance of nature, Hugo emphasizes. also the importance of inspiration found through nature Inspiration takes the form of several ideals in the novel, such as love, beauty and the sublime Nature is all-consuming, and Nash. parallels its complexity with that of the novel: “the novel, like nature, is a great paradigm of metaphoricity – the more we look, the more analogies we find” (Nash 480). In short, nature is much more than a simple landscape, and Les Miserables reflects this depth. Peculiar scenes of nature's impact on the characters occur throughout the novel, beginning with Bishop Bienvenu, a representative of the goodness that humanity can possess through his charity and trusting nature. The bishop is described by Quale as “Hugo’s hero and saint; and we cannot deny her a beauty such as that worn by the skies and the saints. It is a tribute toromantic to a minister of God; and sweet the homage is” (Quayle 17). This description shows the value of a man in tune with God's grace and able to receive inspiration through it, which is a common romantic theme. The bishop finds this inspiration in nature, as he walks in his garden every evening before going to bed. His experience is described: “Was it not a narrow enclosure, with the sky as a background, enough to allow him to adore God in his most beautiful works as well as in his most sublime works? Indeed, isn’t that all, and what more could you ask for? A small garden to walk in and a vast space to think. At his feet something to cultivate and harvest; above his head something to study and meditate on: a few flowers on the earth and all the stars in the sky” (Hugo 6). These lines reflect the immensity of inspiration and comfort found in nature, and the bishop's sense of closeness, or organicism, to the rest of the universe. This allows him to feel closeness to others, and is reflected in his caring and forgiving nature. This personality inspires Jean Valjean to become holier, and he in turn finds his own solace in nature. at several points in the novel. An example is when he and Cosette live in a convent to escape the policeman Javert; Cosette is taught by the sisters and Valjean works as a gardener. His experience is sublime and described as "his soul was calmed." silence like this cloister, in perfume like these flowers, in peace like this garden…” (Hugo 189, as these lines and the example of the bishop show, gardens have become a recurring motif representing the divinity of nature, and Cosette and). Marius both finds their own inspiration there. They find love through nature, with Marius describing his experience thus: “Never had the sky been more studded with stars and more charming, the trees more trembling, the smell of the grass more penetrating; never had the birds fallen asleep among the leaves with a sweeter sound; never have all the harmonies of universal serenity responded more profoundly to the interior music of love; never had Marius been more captivated, more happy, more ecstatic” (Hugo 189). These lines show how the beauty of nature and how nature and love become one – a common romantic theme often called organicism. Nature provides inspiration through many devices, ranging from comfort to pure love, and reflects the romantic theme of nature as the greatest teacher. Individualism becomes a broad topic in Les Miserables, with the focus being on the individual's struggle against a greater force, whether morality or political conflict. Through this exploration, Grossman describes the product thus: “Many of the ethical and political connotations of his work also serve the distinct aesthetic purpose of defining his mature concept of romanticism and the romantic novel” (Grossman 9). These political critiques manifest themselves most powerfully in Jean Valjean's struggle with Javert and in his emphasis on injustice between classes, such as Thénardiers and Fantine. It is the struggle of the individual against that of higher powers. Cooke describes the struggle thus: “Victor Hugo taught his readers the new truth of the humanity of all men, even of the lowest. He opened the eyes of his countrymen to the suffering, sorrows and humanity of the poor around them – as well as to the injustice they endured at the hands of the law and society” (Cooke 133). This humanity is manifested in particular in the evolution of the character of Jean Valjean. Receiving excessive punishment and unfair treatment for his desire to help others, Valjean greatly reflectsa common romantic character: the Byronic hero. Focused on individualism, the Byronic hero suffers with dignity from all opposition. Also worth noting is Valjean's uncanny strength, with the supernatural being another common component of romance. Schwartz describes his traits as “romanticism praised the genius of the extraordinary man” (Shwartz). Hugo represents the ordinary man, which is extraordinary in the eyes of the romantic. Quayle connects this supernatural strength to Valjean's heroism, describing him thus: "He is a dark hero, but a hero nonetheless, with a strength like that of ten, since his love is like the love of a legion » (Quayle 15). heroism is seen in the good use of his strength, how he uses it to save lives, such as that of the sailor in peril, and to escape from Javert in order to protect Cossette at different points in the novel. Javert, who represents the rigidity of the law, ultimately succumbs to the powerful forces of Valjean's individualism, manifested in his grace and goodness despite opposition. Duncan describes it this way: “Perceiving Jean Valjean as noble, he is no longer able to maintain his view of himself as pure. The rigid training of compromise had kept his self-loathing and sense of inner pollution repressed. Now, as these feelings surface, Javert commits suicide” (Duncan 115). The individual, in addition to the poor and lower classes, wins thanks to Valjean, who represents the common man – who the romantics constantly support. Schwartz describes Hugo's characterization as follows: "His most memorable characters in Les Miserables were not those of the rich or the high-ranking, but rather those of the poor and the common man" (Schwartz). However, Valjean, our hero, also meets death, as is the case with all, but it is his grace and dignity that sets him apart as a romantic and Byronic hero even after death. “Always love each other dearly. There is almost nothing else in the world than this: to love each other... I die happy..." (Hugo 519). These lines express the divine fulfillment of Valjean's love by enduring horrible suffering and dying without fear. Grossman describes it this way: “Death looms like the price of extraordinary merit” (Grossman 7). As organicism says, all things are connected, just like the themes of romanticism. Here we see nature conquering everything, even the individual. Alongside themes of nature and individualism, imagination is a key component of the Romantic, which Hugo embodies in his work. Imagination is vast, with no single definition in the eyes of romanticism. Perkins describes it more generally as follows: “‘Imagination’ denoted a functioning of the mind that is total, synthetic, immediate, and dynamic. In this sense, imagination theory was a reaction not only against empirical analysis but also against traditional academic psychology…” (Perkins 19). The imagination, like most modes of Romanticism, strove to move away from the traditionalist style and make it new. Hugo shows this through the novelty of his writing style and intentions, reflected in his character's choices and actions. This is also represented in the spiritual aspects of the novel, where religion is explored as an individual endeavor, as opposed to an oppressive institutional religion. Schwartz describes Hugo's Romantic style thus: "Hugo presented himself as the poet born of the ideological currents which shaped Romanticism, according to which the poet is a supremely individual creator, whose creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures. ..The artist alone is capable of leading society, because he alone embraces both God and man” (Schwartz)..