What Does it Mean to Be a Romantic?
You've probably heard someone describe themselves as a hopeless romantic or at least seen them act a bit like one. A romantic is someone who envelops themselves in love and drama, often involving grand gestures. It's also a person who has a strong sense of what's important in life and is more likely to prioritize relationships over work or other activities. But what exactly does it mean to be a romantic, and how can we better understand our own levels of this trait?
In general, Romanticism is a movement in literature, music, and art that stresses idealized passion, imagination, adventure, and return to nature over reason, order, and intellectual ideas. The Romantics were influenced by philosophers such as Soren Kierkegaard and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, but they were particularly drawn to poets like Lord Byron and John Keats. Their poetry is typically lyrical, melancholy, and full of poetic symbolism.
They were also concerned with a sense of chivalry and the pursuit of adventure. This largely explains why so many of their works depict scenes of battle or travel through uncharted territory. This Romantic view of the world was eventually overtaken by events, including the rise of realism and naturalism in art and literature and Charles Darwin's publishing of On the Origin of Species in 1859. It also gave way to a more conservative climate following World War I, with a greater emphasis on practical concerns and the real effects of technology and urbanization on society.
A person who is a romantic will tend to be attentive in their own relationships, and this often means making their partners feel loved and special. This might be done with a lot of physical affection, such as giving flowers or taking them for a special date, or by giving them meaningful gifts, such as tickets to a show or an experience they'll cherish forever. A romantic will also be a person who makes an effort to make their partners feel good about themselves, and they will frequently express how much they care for them.
It's hard to define what makes a movie romance or a person romantic, but there's definitely something in the air when you watch a great love story unfold on screen. The most purely romantic movies, in our opinion, are those that can make you lose yourself in the emotion of it all and feel your heart strings get pulled at the end. We've rounded up some of our favorite romances, from iconic '80s films to modern dramas that will evoke the same feelings. Here are 50 of the best of the best.