The Jena Romantic Circle was a group of German writers, philosophers, and artists active in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, primarily in the city of Jena. This circle included notable figures such as Friedrich Schlegel, Novalis, and Friedrich Hölderlin, who sought to explore new ideas in literature and philosophy, emphasizing emotion, nature, and individual experience. The group was influential in the development of Romanticism, a movement that reacted against the rationalism of the Enlightenment. They promoted the idea of the interconnectedness of art and life, advocating for creativity and imagination as essential components of human experience.