The Sturm und Drang movement, peaking in the 1770s, marked a significant cultural shift in Germany, emphasizing emotional depth, individualism, and a rebellion against the rationalism of the Enlightenment. This movement laid the groundwork for early Romanticism, influencing literature, music, and philosophy. Key figures such as Goethe and Schiller emerged during this time, using their works to explore the complexities of human emotion and the natural world.

Laid groundwork for Romantic emphasis on passion and subjectivity; Goethe’s 'The Sorrows of Young Werther' and works by Schiller inspired English Romantics like Wordsworth and Coleridge to explore inner turmoil and genius against societal constraints. This movement emphasized individual experience and emotional depth, reshaping poetic expression.