Comments on “Romantic rebellion”

How does a rebellious romantic make things better?

To be noble requires service but he knows not what that service should be.

He is working towards art when his heart isn’t being torn apart.

What I think is missed is that the “romantic rebel” can create a “subculture” that at least partially mimics the values they aim to instill. Although the culture is defined by a “defiant pose”, that culture has real value to the people who partake and real meaning to them.In fact, the very nature of its opposition can be part of where the meaning derives from.

I would distinguish between a rebel who is rebelling against the concept of authority vs. a rebel who is fighting a particular regime or authority figure. For instance, Satan in Paradise Lost isn’t at all against the concept of authority. He states that he would rather rule in hell than serve in heaven. Like a lot of people, he love being the boss but doesn’t like anyone lording over him.

I might go as far as to say that rebellion can be actually service of authority, in that it provides revitalization of authority through replacement. Children rebel against parents because the parents are aging and will eventually be incapable of maintaining order in the family. Rock and roll proliferates when traditional religion no longer resonates culturally.

I guess it depends also if you think of “authority” as “the inviolability of obedience to a particular person or group” or as “the value of having someone in charge, the rightfulness of which is determined that leader’s capability to hold onto power until someone new challenges and replaces.”