Romanticism and existentialism are appealing approaches to the audience today as they put emphasis on subjective experience. The approaches were a revolt against major political and social norms during the enlightenment age. Similarly, the approaches provide a critical reaction against the scientific rationalization of nature. Romanticism capitalizes on employing literature, visual arts, and music as the major source of aesthetic experience (Godawa, 2009). These approaches are also appealing since through such experiences the approach legitimized individual creativity and imagination elevating their achievements hence permitting them freedom from classical forms of art. Similarly, existentialism emphasizes feelings as a critical guiding force in the entire human race. People, therefore, have many distinct types of experiences and do not recognize that they possess the ability to choose.
In this modern era of technology and secularization, the approaches of romanticism and existentialism to the world are a mixture. People tend to do things to please themselves and others as they “create myths and fairy tales in order to give meaning to our lives’’ (Godawa, 2009). These kinds of actions tend to affect us positively and also negatively. The negativity in this approach can be seen in the sense that the world at large and the people in it are trying to act and behave in a narrative and a fictional manner but this “storytelling is meaningless gibberish unless reality itself is narratable. And the reality is unnarratable in a universe without a transcendent narrator” (Godawa, 2009). This approach, when embraced, it brings out our diversity and uniqueness. Our cultures and religions can be sported as our uniqueness and diversity. In terms of religion and culture, rather than just seeing our lives as unconnected series of random events without purpose, our beliefs and these approaches bring meanings to our lives, that there are meaningful connections with a purpose and as humans, we, therefore, can do things by choice.
Reference
Godawa, B. (2009). Hollywood worldviews: Watching films with wisdom and discernment.
InterVarsity Press.
