Joe’s Reviews > David to Delacroix: The Rise of Romantic Mythology > Status Update

myth circa 1800 in France was considered a serious mode of knowledge about self and society. It could be used as a window to help shed light on and understand modern concerns. It was not a compendium of fanciful stories of no relevance to contemporary life but instead a repository of deep psychological meanings and truths of immense heuristic value.

"a major goal of many artists of the period from David to Delacroix was to bring the imaginary figures of the mythic past into psychological proximity to their audience and, at the same time, to capture the enchantment of the magical, mysterious world of the mythic imagination"

"Delacroix’s admiration for David is well known, receiving eloquent asseveration when he described David as 'the father of the entire modern school in painting and sculpture.'"

"Psychology and physiology go hand in hand. Delacroix was heir to a long legacy of using the transparent window of myth to reveal important truths about modern mores and the human condition."

"Why would narratives involving the dissolution of sexual boundaries
through the story of a sexually inexperienced youth and the sexually
aggressive female who pounces be so popular during this period?
The physiology of unbridled female sexuality was the subject of medical
discourse of the period and is an extension of prevailing eighteenth century fascination with male/female sexuality and difference"

"Why would narratives involving the dissolution of sexual boundaries
through the story of a sexually inexperienced youth and the sexually
aggressive female who pounces be so popular during this period?
The physiology of unbridled female sexuality was the subject of medical
discourse of the period and is an extension of prevailing eighteenth century fascination with male/female sexuality and difference"

"Why would narratives involving the dissolution of sexual boundaries
through the story of a sexually inexperienced youth and the sexually
aggressive female who pounces be so popular during this period?
The physiology of unbridled female sexuality was the subject of medical
discourse of the period and is an extension of prevailing eighteenth century fascination with male/female sexuality and difference"