Question

The romantic imagination and national feeling. Describe it?

Answer 1

i) Romantic artists and poets created a sense of shared collective heritage, a common cultural past, as the basis of a nation.

(ii) It was through folk songs, folk poetry, and folk dances that the true spirit of the nation was popularised.

(iii) Emphasis was given on the vernacular language and the collection of folklore, to carry the modern nationalist message to large audiences

Answer 2

Identification of oneself with the country and working towards its national interest is nationalism. This is all the more relevant to those who are born in the country and familiar with its language, ethnicity, religion and culture.

It takes on a ‘romantic’ nature, when people long for a strong national identity, which they perceive as lost, over the course of time.