Romantic Underground

The Romantic Underground. Y’ever hear of it? I’ve only heard it mentioned before, never explained. Even then, I only heard it mentioned once, on one of the most epic monologues ever.

“I am the Leviathan of pop culture.

My strides encompass vast territories; my footsteps shaping the landscape. My thoughts will be their obsessions; my whims their rapacious desires.

I will be relentless. I will be ruthless. I will be strong. I will be unstoppable. Not because it is the option I choose, but because there is no other option.

I am of the Romantic Underground, and we cannot be stopped, because we do not acknowledge the rules of those who wish to stop us. They have no power, no authority, no influence which we do not wish them to have.

We are of a lineage that includes more than writers and artists accustomed to being beaten down, marginalized, and humiliated. We are of the lineage of Ozymandias and Alexander, and we will take everything that can be hurled at us, shrug it off, move ahead, and claim the territory that belongs to those willing to pay the price to claim it.

We’re not IN publishing. We’re at war. And I don’t intend to lose.”

-James A. Owen

Like I said, epic monologue. But I never knew what the Romantic Underground was. Even through the wonder that is Google, I was only able to find one website that really shed light on the subject, if somewhat skeptically. http://www.infinityplus.co.uk/nonfiction/romanticunderground.htm It’s a bit long-winded, but if you cut past the crap, it’s informative. Put simply, it’s an alleged organization of writers who favor the surreal. Most people in it deny association. I say alleged because there’s no evidence of existance other than what we’re told by the authors who do admit to being in it, such as James A. Owen, featured above.

I’ve always been interested in underground or secretive societies like this one. From the Freemasons to the Mafia, I find them fascinating. And we already know I like cultural shifts and movements. This has both of them, to a much lesser extent. It’s almost like Dada meets the Bohemian Trio. Cool, no? Also, never talk about fight club. Never talk about fight club.