The Romantic movement of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries was a direct reaction to the established cultural ideals of the European Enlightenment. The values of the Enlightenment were based upon scientific rationality, but eventually this movement culminated in the bloodthirsty French Revolution, which, in turn, spawned violent upheaval throughout Europe. Many of the Romantic poets were greatly disenchanted by the barbarity displayed by their fellow man, and as a result, began to reject the logic-based, `enlightened' mindset of the times, aspiring instead to emotional ideals. Dissatisfied with humanity's progress and disgusted with constant pain and suffering in society, the Romantics often focused on beauty and emotion, including themes such as love, nature, and the supernatural. This style, though full of beauty and delight, often serves to remind us exactly of the things it rejects: man's fated mortality and the constant change of...