Love theme in Romanticism vs. Realism

[fmfu]

I'm working on an essay and REALLY need help to find a good "angle" on the subject. The subject is the change of the theme "Love" from Romanticism to Realism. I could really use some help, just what diffrences to look for when I read books from both of the epochs. How do the theme change? And what does the theme "mean" for each of the epochs.

Please help :nod:

[Sabo]

I come to think of following:

* In Romanticism the love is usually platonic; love to a woman is usually abstract, the women portaits are "bloodless"; love is often a way of achieving greater knowledge, approching higher regions of existence

* if you by love meen not only romantic love, I would say that there is a strong touch of homoeroticism in many works of Romantic literature: very strong friendships, often described in vocabulary we today associate with sexual love

* During realism the practical issues come into the narrative. Practicalities would have been impossible in Rom lit. Love can now be treated with irony, as a way to material success etc

But I'm mostly familiar with German and continental Romanticism, not so much English.