Romanticism and Neoclassicim

Hey, it's Erin.
Ah, my last post of the year...
Well, as I've been studying hectically for finals, I was reviewing Romanticism and Neoclassicism. I know that they are very opposite in many ways (form v. content, individual v. group, emotion v. logic), but I feel that they have some similarities as well. An important idea is Romanticism is that of the individual instinct, that people can find their own way because their instincts/emotions will guide them the right way. Even though neoclassicism emphasizes logic as the path to truth, evil is defined as that which destroys happiness; that which promotes happiness is good. In a way, neoclassics relied on their emotions (happiness v. unhappiness) to determine truth. Also, just as the individual is important in Romanticism (the individual must find their own way/truth), the individual is important in Neoclassicism, although in a different way. Religious liberty was emphasized: everyone needed to find their own religious truth; it was an individual matter. What other people had to say about religion was no longer important; Neoclassics felt that they should try to find out using actual religious texts, sort of making their own interpretation. Romanticism simply extended the Neoclassic idea of religion as a matter of the individual to greater extent.
I just thought that it was interesting how two things that are so different in so many ways had similarities.
Good luck on finals everyone!!!!!