This work investigates whether contemporary critical methodologies, specifically new historicism and post-structuralism, have obscured the essential quality and cultural significance of Romanticism. Thomas McFarland, a distinguished scholar in the field, utilizes the philosophy and cultural impact of Jean-Jacques Rousseau as a foundational lens to re-evaluate the Romantic movement. He argues that modern critical approaches often prioritize ideological deconstruction over the aesthetic and textural appreciation of the literature itself. By challenging the prevailing academic orthodoxy, McFarland seeks to redirect scholarly focus toward the intrinsic voice and historical texture of the Romantic era.

Scholars and students of literary theory frequently cite this text as a rigorous defense of traditional aesthetic criticism against the rise of ideological analysis. The prose is noted for its high level of academic density and its uncompromising stance on the limitations of contemporary critical schools.