Question

Which of the following would be the most likely premise of a story written by an author of a romantic literature?

Answer 1

Answer: I believe the correct answer to be C. Falling in love is what makes humans superior to other animals.

Explanation:

Options A and D are incorrect because they state precisely what Romanticism was against: technology and intellectualism. That leaves us with options B and C.

Even though option B sounds appropriate at first - emotions are indeed more important to romantic artists than being an intellectual -, we should be careful with the adjective "healthy". Romantic writers were in favor of experiencing emotions deeply. That means going to the extremes with it: too much happiness, but also too much sadness. While the poem "This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison" express delight, Edgar Alan Poe's short stories show the darkest side of the human soul.

Option C seems to be the most coherent one. Romantic writers idealize love. They write about experiencing love profoundly, about not being able to live without the loved one. It's as if our lives are supposed to revolve around it, as if our fate should be encountering that one person - only one, let's be very clear -, for whom we will live and die. Love is usually one of the main themes in Victor Hugo's works, for instance.

Answer 2

Healthy emotions were the main part of Romantic literature. Based in the 19th-century, this style of writing was heavily influenced by autobiographies and writing that exulted the common person over that of people in high society. In addition, nature and the natural world was given higher status than that which was artificial.