Sentimentalism (literature) facts for kids

Sentimentalism is a way of acting and thinking where people rely a lot on their emotions and feelings. They often choose to follow their heart instead of just using logic or reason.

In literature, sentimentalism became a popular style. It included things like sentimental poetry, novels, and even a German music movement called Empfindsamkeit. This style grew during the Age of Enlightenment in Europe. It was partly a response to new ideas about feelings in philosophy. In the 1700s, the sentimental novel was a very important type of book in England. Its ideas mainly came from Anthony Ashley Cooper, 3rd Earl of Shaftesbury, who was a student of John Locke.

Feelings and Philosophy

It can sometimes be tricky to tell the difference between sentimentalism in philosophy and in literature. As philosophers developed new ideas about feelings, writers quickly tried to show these ideas through stories and characters. Because of this, you often see both philosophical and literary movements happening at the same time.

Philosophically, sentimentalism was often compared to rationalism. In the 1700s, rationalism focused on using a logical mind to find truth. Sentimentalism, however, believed that truth came from a natural human ability to feel. For sentimentalists, this ability was most important for understanding what is right and wrong (moral sense theory).

Sentimentalists argued that rationalists believed morality came from strict rules. But sentimentalists felt these rules didn't fully explain how humans actually feel. For example, seeing a sad picture or showing strong emotion. They believed you couldn't have a good moral theory without understanding these feelings. Instead, by developing your ability to feel and understand emotions, you could find a good moral theory. This theory would come from a natural human quality that everyone has. Because of this, sentimentalists were often linked to humanism and the idea that we know right from wrong through our feelings.

What Sentimentalism Looks Like

Sentimentalism suggested that showing a lot of feeling was not a weakness. Instead, it showed that a person was moral and good. This idea started with religious empathy, which is the ability to understand and share the feelings of another. It then grew to include other feelings. For example, romantic love was no longer seen as a bad or destructive feeling. Instead, it was seen as a basis for social connections.

Around the mid-1700s, sentimentalism often compared "untouched" nature to polite society, like in the writings of Jean Jacques Rousseau. Also, Samuel Richardson's sentimental novel Pamela, or Virtue Rewarded (1740) was very influential. This book was an epistolary novel, meaning it was told through letters.

Sentimental literary works often included scenes of sadness and tenderness. The story was designed to make readers feel emotions rather than just focusing on action. This led to valuing "fine feeling," showing characters as examples of refined, moral, and emotional people. Sentimentalism in literature was also a way for authors to share their own ideas. They encouraged readers to feel empathy for the problems discussed in their books.

For example, in Laurence Sterne's novel A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy, the character Yorick is used to explore ideas about morality. In one scene, Yorick meets a monk but refuses to give him money. He feels bad about this, even though he thinks he is being logical. He argues that "there is no regular reasoning upon the ebbs and flows of our humours" (meaning our emotions). But after the monk leaves, Yorick's "heart" feels guilty. He realizes he "behaved very ill." Even though he followed his logical thoughts, his feelings told him he had done wrong.

Empfindsamkeit in Germany

In Europe, especially Germany, one part of sentimentalism was called Empfindsamkeit. This German term means "sensitive style." It was used in music and aimed to express "true and natural" feelings. This was different from the more formal Baroque music.

The roots of Empfindsamkeit were mainly religious. Examples include the emotional keyboard music and songs (lieder) by Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach. Empfindsamkeit is also sometimes called "secularized pietism" because it often had moral lessons. These lessons became less tied to the church and religion over time.

German Writers and Works

The musician and publisher Johann Christoph Bode translated Laurence Sterne's novel A Sentimental Journey Through France and Italy into German in 1768. He titled it Yoriks empfindsame Reise. This translation was a huge success. His German word "empfindsam" (sensitive) was a new word that then became linked to Gotthold Ephraim Lessing and a whole period of German literature.

German poets who wrote in a sentimental style included Friedrich Gottlieb Klopstock (1724–1803) and Christian Fürchtegott Gellert (1715–1769). Sophie de La Roche (1730–1807) wrote the first epistolary novel in German. You can also see the influence of sentimentalism in Goethe's early book Die Leiden des jungen Werthers (1774). This book was a major work of the Sturm und Drang movement. Meta Klopstock's writings are also considered part of this movement.

Lasting Impact

Religious sentimentalism is often seen as an inspiration for François-René de Chateaubriand and his creation of Romanticism. Romanticism was another literary style that appeared later in the 1700s. In popular literature, Empfindsamkeit was a common style that continued into the 1800s. It appeared in serialized novels in magazines like Gartenlaube. In theater, Empfindsamkeit was followed by rührstück or melodrama.

See also

In Spanish: Sentimentalismo para niños

• Francis Hutcheson, Essay on the Nature and Conduct of the Passions and Affections and Illustrations upon the Moral Sense.
• Sentiment (disambiguation)
• Sentimental poetry