Which literary movement began in the late 18th century and stressed emotion, imagination, and individualism?

The literary movement that began in the late 18th century and emphasized emotion, imagination, and individualism is Romanticism. This movement arose as a reaction against the Enlightenment's focus on reason and rationality. Romanticism celebrated the subjective experience of the individual and valued personal feelings and emotional depth. Writers and poets associated with this movement sought to express the beauty of nature, the power of the human spirit, and the exploration of the human psyche. Key figures often included poets like William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge, who illustrated these values through their works.

In contrast, the other movements listed reflect different aspects of literary development. Realism focused on depicting everyday life and society without embellishment, Modernism explored themes of alienation and disillusionment following World War I, and Transcendentalism emphasized spiritual understanding through nature and self-reliance but emerged more specifically in the American context during the 19th century. Each of these movements has distinct characteristics that differentiate them from Romanticism, underscoring why the correct answer highlights this particular literary movement.