Abstract (eng)
The manifold concepts of the romantic epoch have been thoroughly researched from various angles in the past decades. Due to its enhanced availability, the philosophy of Tantrism was also met with growing interest in the academic field, and scholars started to engage with its approach. Both theories seem to share their understanding of a monistic worldview, and most importantly, their concept of self. Additionally, their aesthetic theories appear to have several features in common. However, previous work has failed to address the evident similarities between these two traditions. This paper therefore examines the similarities and contrasts between key concepts of these two philosophical branches. Tantric elements, such as "Siva", "Sakti" and "Rasa" are compared to core features of the romantic theory, such as "Imagination", "the Sublime", and the aesthetic theory established by William Wordsworth in his "Preface" of the "Lyrical Ballads". By conducting a contrastive literary analysis with reference to tantric literature, such as the "Spanda of Vibration" by Vasugupta, and the works of William Wordsworth, Edmund Burke, and other romantic poets, elements of Tantrism that occur in romantic poetry are explored. Furthermore, the romantic poem "Tintern Abbey" is analyzed with regard to the previously illustrated elements. The result of this research is the acknowledgement of parallels and contrasts between two seemingly unrelated schools of thought.