Analysis of Romanticism, The Brothers Grimm, and Hansel...

Timothy Towers Becky Austin Honors English IV April 18th, 2014 The Brothers Grimm, Romanticism, and Hansel and Gretel Today when one thinks about the Grimm Brothers, they most likely think about how widespread their stories are, being that they are told in many homes and have had many adaptations of them. This was not the case however when Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm first started to write and collect their tales. Many were uncomfortable with them and the very violent scenes they had. People eventually came around and Jacob and Wilhelm became two of the most famous people in the history of things relating to literature and this shows through their tales such as Hansel and Gretel. The Grimm Brothers were both born in Hanau Germany†¦show more content†¦One of the few points on which all people who claimed to be a Romantic was the refutation of enlightenment’s skeptical rationalism. Romantics were more concerned with the imagination and relied on metaphysical things, where as someone who was a part of the enlightenment movement would cl aim that there is no evidence and is therefore irrational. Another point that most Romantics agreed upon was a love and respect for nature. One a part of the enlightened movement would want to use intellect to â€Å"master† nature while a Romantic would rather admire the beauty, wildness, and other inspirational qualities of nature (Micale 2026). Along with the admiration of nature and the strong use of imagination goes the strong interest in the emotions and getting in touch with one’s roots. Some topics related to the emotions heavily emphasized in Romanticism are dreams, horror, fantasy, and madness. The Grimm Brothers were influenced by Romanticism in both this emotional sense, their tales encompassing often times all four of the emotional ideas just stated, and by getting back to one’s roots. It was the getting back to one’s roots that helped the Grimm Brothers feel led to collect folk tales from throughout the ages (â€Å"Grimm Brothers† 838) . Most of Grimm Fairy Tales are rooted in society’s problems. During this time there were many wars, plagues, and famines and there were