Search Results (56)

The Western genre has traditionally been associated with American identity and male-dominated narratives. However, recent decades have seen increasing attention to female protagonists, particularly the European woman as a cultural mediator within the frontier context. This study aims to identify the archetypes of the European woman in the Western genre through a diachronic and comparative analysis of the visual language found in European painting from the late 17th to early 19th centuries and in 20th–21st century cinema. The research methodology combines narrative, visual, and semiotic analysis, with a focus on intermedial and intertextual parallels between visual art and film. The study identifies nine archetypal models corresponding to goddesses of the Greek pantheon and traces their transformation across different aesthetic systems. These archetypes, rooted in artistic traditions such as Baroque, Classicism, Romanticism, and others, reappear in Western films through compositional, symbolic, and iconographic strategies, demonstrating their persistence and ability to transcend temporal, medial, and geographical boundaries. The findings suggest that the woman in the Western genre is not merely a central character, but a visual sign that activates cultural memory and engages with deep archetypal structures embedded in the collective unconscious. Full article

Many publications on early house and techno music have the character of documentation and include (auto-)biographical statements from contemporaries of the scene. This literature has led to many statements, hypotheses, and conclusions. The weaknesses of such sources are their selective and subjective nature, and the danger of unclear memories, romanticization, and constructive memory. Consequently, a validation through content-based, quantitative music analyses is desirable. For this purpose, the HOuse and Techno music from Germany and AMErica (HOTGAME) corpus was built. Metrics from the field of data quality control show that the corpus is representative and explanatory for house and techno music from Germany and the United States of America between 1984 and 1994. HOTGAME can serve as a reliable source for the analysis of early house and techno music using big data methods, like inferential statistics and machine learning. Full article

This paper offers a philosophical account of the specific form of romantic love underlying the ideal of love-based marriages. Rather than examining the institution of marriage, it considers marriage as the promise of infinite love between finite persons. Although this promise may seem irrational, even those who never formally marry still invoke phrases like ‘I love you forever’. In three steps, this paper explores what we could possibly mean by infinite love and how it can be rationally promised throughout a finite life. First, I trace the concept of infinite love back to the metaphysical discussions surrounding the emergence of the love-based marriage among German Idealists and Jena Romanticists. Next, drawing on John Searle’s speech act theory, I examine how the ideal of infinite love can be articulated as a promise. Finally, I turn to early existentialist thought—particularly the notions of passion (Lidenskab, Leidenschaft), repetition (Gjentagelsen, Wiederkehr), and the moment (Øjeblik, Augenblick) as developed by Kierkegaard and Nietzsche—to justify the meaning of the marital promise. In short, I propose that instead of interpreting the marital promise as a description of an expected reality, we should approach it as a passionate necessity that discloses the world in a fundamentally indeterminate way. By reframing the marital promise in this light, I aim to show that marital love is compatible both with the ideal of personal autonomy and with an alternative conception of rationality and temporality. Full article

Philosophers and literary scholars have notoriously struggled with the periodization of Hölderlin’s work, showing particular reluctance to situate it within Early Romanticism. But there can be no doubt that Hölderlin’s philosophical work resides within the context of an anti-foundationalist criticism, which students of Karl Leonhard Reinhold leveled at his programmatic deduction from a “highest principle” (oberster Grundsatz) in the early 1790s and intensified following Fichte’s lectures (1794/95) on the Science of Knowledge (Wissenschaftslehre). Novalis belonged directly to the circle of Reinhold students, while Hölderlin gained access to it through Friedrich Immanuel Niethammer, his friend from student days in Tübingen and “mentor” in Jena. Niethammer encouraged both Hölderlin and Novalis to contribute to his Philosophisches Journal, conceived as a forum for discussing the pros and cons of foundational philosophy (Grundsatzphilosophie). Novalis’ Fichte-Studies and Hölderlin’s philosophical fragments from 1795/96 can be read as drafts for such an essay. Both men developed similar critiques of Reinhold’s reformulated, subject-centered “highest principle”, the “principle of consciousness” (Satz des Bewusstseins). They argued that according to Reinhold, self-consciousness is a representation, i.e., a binary relationship that provides no explanation for the certainty of unity associated with self-consciousness. Both postulate a transcendent “ground of unity”, which would address this issue while remaining inaccessible to consciousness. My article demonstrates that both men failed to disentangle themselves from the snares of Reinhold’s model of representation, and both transferred the solution for the problem of self-consciousness onto the extra-philosophical medium of art. Full article

This paper presents a scoping review of the qualitative research (N = 125) on the use of online dating sites and applications for adults pursuing relationships, including sex, love, and romance, from 2014 to 2023. Our review supports previous literature reviews’ findings, which reveal that research on the topic is predominantly focused on young, well-educated, ethnic-majority, and primarily female heterosexuals or men seeking men in Western societies. Hence, a sample-selection bias shapes our scientific understanding of online dating, leaving other user groups underrepresented. Despite the diversity of scientific fields involved in qualitative research, the methods used are notably similar, indicating a relatively narrow scope in both demographic variables and research approaches. Although the researched themes and perspectives appear diverse at first glance, the research often centers on problem-oriented topics, such as the risks and emotional aspects of online dating, insecurities in self-presentation, negative technological communication traits, and the de-romanticization of society. We conclude that, despite the growing body of research on online dating, significant areas of the topic remain unexplored. There is a need for broader, more inclusive research to fully understand the complexities of online dating in the digital age. Full article

In this paper, a comparative analysis of historical and contemporary fashion designs was conducted using quantitative methods and indices. Elements such as silhouettes, color palettes, and structural characteristics were analyzed in order to identify models for reinterpretation of classic fashion costume. Clothing from four historical periods was studied: Empire, Romanticism, the Victorian era, and Art Nouveau. An image processing algorithm was proposed, through which data on the shapes and colors of historical and contemporary clothing were obtained from digital color images. The most informative of the shape and color indices of contemporary and historical clothing were selected using the RReliefF, FSRNCA, and SFCPP methods. The feature vectors were reduced using the latent variable and t-SNE methods. The obtained data were used to group the clothing according to historical periods. Using Euclidean distances, the relationship between clothing by contemporary designers and the elements of the historical costume used by them was determined. These results were used to create an educational and methodological framework for practical training of students in the field of fashion design. The results of this work can help contemporary designers in interpreting and integrating elements of historical fashion into their collections, adapting them to the needs and preferences of consumers. Full article

This article is situated in the context of Victorian imaginations saturated with stories of crime and punishment and influenced by Romantic horror and terror aesthetics involving the sublime. The author delineates how the novel’s realism is affixed to an inherent romanticism and argues that the affect and effect of terror and horror resulting from colonial crimes exhibited in the novel allow readers to experience catharsis and to reassert their humanity through the imperial gaze. Additionally, readers may confirm the values of the ‘home’ nation and the justification of British colonisation through the trope of ‘bringing order out of chaos’. Full article

The general objective of the study is to study the degree of gender-based violence that exists among students at the University of Huelva. The sample of 678 students (540 women and 138 men) answered an anonymous and voluntary questionnaire, which was made up of several validated questionnaires. The results show that many of the students have rarely suffered or carried out any type of violent behavior in their relationships, although there is a very low percentage who claim to have suffered gender-based violence, so we can affirm that it is a phenomenon present to a greater or lesser extent. It is observed that students easily relate physical aggressions to gender-based violence while they hesitate to relate psychological aggressions to it. This difficulty can be supported by other studies that state that adolescents believe that some actions of psychological violence—such as being jealous—are simply signs of love. This is compounded by the large number of romantic myths that are increasingly spread through social networks, media, family patterns, etc. More educational interventions are therefore needed to prevent these outcomes from leading to unhealthy relationships disguised as excessive romanticism. Full article

Raymond Williams’s concept of the “structure of feeling” aims to describe the shared experiences, attitudes, and emotions of social groups at specific historical moments. However, this theory has been criticized for lacking a rigorous theoretical framework, clear definitions, and boundaries, as well as for failing to adequately explain its interaction with mainstream ideology. This paper attempts to address these issues through the lens of the Brazilian Liberation Theology movement. The “structure of feeling” established by Brazilian Liberation Theology departed from the traditional hierarchical system of the Church, aligning itself instead with emerging cultures and the practices of grassroots church communities. Under the repression of the military government, the mainstream Church began to accept certain aspects of Liberation Theology rather than viewing it solely as radical and threatening. Although Liberation Theology gradually waned after the fall of the military regime, its adjusted “structure of feeling”—devoid of its radical elements but still focused on social justice and poverty—profoundly impacted the global Catholic Church. The experience of the Brazilian Liberation Theology movement illustrates that a “structure of feeling” can transcend the dichotomy between consciousness and materiality and the crux lies in individuals discovering and asserting their own existence; such a “structure of feeling” can either emerge from within existing ideologies or challenge them directly; its relationship with mainstream ideology is significantly shaped by specific historical contexts; certain facets of emerging emotions are selectively incorporated into mainstream ideology, typically in ways that mitigate their more radical implications. Full article

The Count de Rethel: An Historical Novel (1779) can be ascribed to Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757–1806) as a translation of Anecdotes de la cour de Philippe-Auguste (1733) by Marguerite de Lussan. The action is set at the court of Philip II of France, known as Philip Augustus, at the time of the war with King Henry II and the Crusade with Richard I, known as the Lionheart. This inspired revival of fictionalised medieval history heralding romanticism in the age of sensibility refashions the codes of chivalry according to the aesthetics of the second half of the eighteenth century. This essay focuses on the interplay between fiction and history, between the present of writing and the rewriting of history through Cavendish’s translational prism, featuring the Middle Ages as a golden age of heroism and the Count de Rethel as a paragon of ancient virtue set against contemporary men of fashion. Full article

As a result of a close relationship established between Romanticism and Catholicism in the struggle against modernity in the early 19th century, a significant number of mystical phenomena, especially involving visionary women, spread throughout Europe during the 19th century. The works of Anna Katharina Emmerick stand as one of the earliest and primary influencers in this regard. Her mystical visions were transcribed and published by a romantic intellectual who had converted to Catholicism in that same context: Clemens Brentano. However, despite inspiring various mystical phenomena in the Catholic milieu, Emmerich’s visions raised suspicion within the Catholic Church due to the presence of supposed pagan and superstitious elements from Brentano’s Romanticism in her descriptions. This suspicion has resulted in ongoing difficulty in advancing her canonization process. In light of this debate, this article discusses the impacts of the union between Romanticism and Catholicism in early 19th-century Germany. It focuses on the case of Anna Katharina Emmerich and Clemens Brentano. Full article

This paper considers the influence of Platonism and Neoplatonism on the British Romantic poet and theologian Samuel Taylor Coleridge (1772–1834) and how they informed his reverence for nature. Coleridge did not see this reverence as merely personal but sought to call an increasingly materialist and industrializing England back to a Platonic social imagination that would better revere the created world. First, I will establish the influence of Platonic and Neoplatonic thought on his philosophical system. Second, I will show how the relationship between Platonic philosophy and scientific pursuit is worked out in Coleridge’s “Essays on Method”, wherein he attempts to synthesize Plato with Frances Bacon and poetry with science and proposes a scientific method that reverences all of creation in its individuality and participation within a spiritual whole. Third, I will briefly explore two of Coleridge’s most famous poems, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and Christabel, as both show the destructive potential of a lack of reverence for the mysterious natural order. These poems may be read as case studies, experimental worlds where refusal to recognize nature’s order and participation with the divine results in the coming apart of those worlds and the self’s relation to them. Full article

This article explores the becoming-church of fake news against the background of the rise of the mediatization of faith and religious beliefs through classic media supports, such as newspapers, magazines, and journals, between 1840 and 1863 in the United States. The analysis focuses on the expression of Seventh-day Adventist Church beliefs in the Adventist press before 1863. The observation of this corpus follows the construction of the “narrative” of fake news from the story propagated by William Miller. The aim is to understand how the Seventh-day Adventist Church was created in the media from the fake news of William Miller. The article shows that the mediatization of William Miller’s fake news made the Seventh-day Adventist Church appear as the embodiment of an agnostic movement, as the material trace of a cultural expression of romanticism, but also as a spiritual organization, with a social and auxiliary political vocation. Full article

While popularly known for his works of literature and poetry, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe viewed his lesser-known scientific pieces as his most enduring achievement. I will argue that Goethe’s unique scientific methodology is informed by a metaphysical commitment to a form of Platonism and that Goethe provides an intriguing alternative paradigm that unifies science, philosophy, theology, and ethics. I begin by demonstrating how Goethe’s concept of the Urphänomen offers a Platonic conception of natural beings. I then briefly outline how this alternative scientific approach ultimately derives from his Platonic commitments. Next, I demonstrate the ethical and spiritual implications of Goethean science, establishing that Goethe’s approach bridges the divide between our scientific endeavors and spiritual formation. There is, then, a continued relevance for Goethe in conversations regarding ecological ethics and our perception of nature. Full article

When Hannah Arendt writes about the law, she does so as a political theorist, genocide survivor and critic of modernity. She also writes as a phenomenologist, which is to say, she is mindful not only that people create the law, but that law constitutes a people. In Origins, she calls attention to the importance of the rule of law in the emergence of totalitarianism. In On Revolution, she seeks a way of grounding political authority in something other than an Absolute. In the process, Arendt looks to another group of intellectuals who grappled with the nature of authority under conditions of modernity—the Early German Romantics. Romantic fragments are philosophical, poetic, even musical. For Arendt, the most highly valued fragments are historical because these fragments provide not only protection against totalitarianism but also a possible solution to the problem of authority. In this article, I explore Arendt’s interpretation of the Declaration of Independence as a historical fragment. She draws on a phenomenological approach to fragments, found primarily in the work of Rahel Varnhagen and Dorothea Veit-Schlegel, to create a resilient yet malleable basis for authority, thereby grounding political authority in concrete historical events, rather than in human nature. Full article