Romantic

The Romantic Era is a time period in literature full of the ideal. And no, we're not talking ideal relationships here. From the 19th century to the mid-19th century (1800-1850), this era left a lasting impact on literature as it progressed from the creativity in the Renaissance and the high-flying ideals of the Enlightenment to that of a passionate and sometimes angsty prose of the Romantic Era. In essence, the Romantic Era is the teenage years of literature complete with never-ending drama, passionate romance, and social frustration. 

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Romanticism, like its Enlightenment predecessor, places emphasis on the individual. However, emphasis also lends itself to nature and the natural world, breaking away from convention, and as the word romantic implies emotions. The idealization of women tends to seep into stories of this time period. Religious and occult references also make frequent appearances in works. At the time of the era, Europe was experiencing social reform in a way like the later hippie years of the seventies. It was viewed by many that the raunchy romance novel was the most dangerous form of entertainment to the youth of the day! With this counterculture movement came authors like Jane Austen becoming breakthrough authors read by the masses and Mary Shelley cautioning against progressivism.