| Historical Period | 17th–18th century (revival of Greco-Roman ideals) | Late 18th–mid 19th century | Mid–late 19th century | Late 19th century | Late 19th century | Early 20th century |
| Philosophical Foundation | Rationalism, order, harmony | Emotion, imagination, subjectivity | Empiricism, social observation | Scientific determinism (Darwinism) | Idealism, mysticism | Existential anxiety, psychological intensity |
| View of Human Nature | Controlled, rational, balanced | Passionate, imaginative, heroic | Socially conditioned | Biologically and environmentally determined | Spiritually layered, symbolic | Alienated, fragmented, internally tormented |
| Concept of Reality | Ordered and stable | Sublime, mysterious, transcendent | Objective and observable | Mechanistic, governed by heredity and environment | Suggestive, hidden beneath surface | Distorted to reveal inner truth |
| Attitude toward Nature | Structured and harmonious | Sacred, sublime, living presence | Background to social life | Harsh, indifferent force | Symbolic landscape | Psychological projection |
| Emotion vs Reason | Reason dominates emotion | Emotion dominates reason | Balanced but rationally observed | Emotion shaped by instinct | Emotion suggested, not declared | Intense, exaggerated emotion |
| Individual vs Society | Individual reflects universal norms | Individual as unique genius | Individual shaped by society | Individual trapped by social forces | Individual as visionary seer | Individual isolated and alienated |
| Form & Structure | Symmetry, unity, decorum | Lyrical freedom, spontaneity | Linear narrative, coherent plot | Detailed, documentary style | Musicality, ambiguity | Fragmented, episodic |
| Language Style | Elevated, formal, restrained | Emotional, figurative, imaginative | Plain, descriptive | Detailed, clinical | Suggestive, metaphorical | Abrupt, exaggerated, dramatic |
| Typical Genres | Satire, epic, tragedy | Lyric poetry, Gothic novel | Social novel, realist drama | Deterministic novel | Symbolist poetry | Avant-garde drama |
| Social Outlook | Moral didacticism | Revolutionary idealism | Social reform | Pessimistic social critique | Escape from materialism | Protest against mechanized modernity |
| Representative Figures | Alexander Pope | William Wordsworth | Charles Dickens | Émile Zola | Charles Baudelaire | Franz Kafka |
| View of Art | Imitation of classical models | Expression of imagination | Mirror of society | Laboratory of social science | Revelation of unseen realities | Projection of inner psyche |
| Reaction Against | Baroque excess | Neoclassical rationalism | Romantic idealism | Romantic sentimentality | Realist materialism | Realism & Naturalism |