Romanticism

While talking about the different characteristics of Romanticism in class the other day, I remembered a story that I had to read for my class last quarter. It was called The Story of Layla and Majnun. I felt that the book really expressed every aspect of Romanticism except the mention of God (kind of). The book dealt with star-crossed lovers that couldn’t be together because the daughter’s father wouldn’t allow it. The book definitely showed great emotion on the part of the lovers (especially when Majnun basically gave up everything he had, including his family, to go in the woods and wait for a day where he and Layla would be together). It also showed “nature” because the whole story showed how intensely Layla and Majnun thought of each other everyday and how Majnun felt the most at home in the wilderness with wild animals. There was also a message about the revolutionary idea of the freedom to love anyone as well as the idea that the beloved is just a mask for one’s love of God (In this case, Allah, not a “Christian God”). The story has definitely evolved from the stories of little towns where it has been told for many years.

I guess the similarities between the criteria of Romanticism and this story really make me question if The Story of Layla and Majnun can be considered a romantic story. I know that this story was written a long time ago (at least before the 12th century), but it still encompasses the major aspects of the Romanticism movement (except the requirement for a “Christian God”). Is the time period just as important as all of the other criteria or do the criteria actually emerge from the time period? Or…can the criteria of the movement be looked at without involving the historic time period?