Neoclassicism vs.  Romanticism
The mindset guiding neoclassicism is John Locke’s philosophy of empiricism, which borrows from scientific thought.  In attempting to determine how humans acquire knowledge, Locke argues that ideas are not innate and universal, but rather all our knowledge and ideas arise from experience, which he defined as empiricism. The human mind takes in sensation and then reflects upon it.  For a more detailed discussion of Locke and Empiricism, see the following link: http://www.philosophypages.com/hy/4l.htm.
The philosophical mindset guiding romanticism comes from Immanuel Kant and his theory of transcendental idealism.  Kant believes that the mind of the knower actively contributes to the experience of objects, that human experience of things consists of how they appear to us, suggesting that the human mind and its perception creates reality rather than just perceiving a reality that is already there. This link may help clarify idealism: http://changingminds.org/explanations/research/philosophies/idealism.htm. 
	Neoclassical	Romantic	
How knowledge is attained	Derived from senses (mirror)	Produced by mind (lamp)	
State of the human mind:	Tabula rasa (blank slate)	A priori (innate understanding)	
How humans make sense of the world	Through reason	Through imagination	
Primary concerns	Social	Individual	
Purpose of literature	Didactic, with poet serving as teacher	Visionary and confessional, with poet serving as prophet	
 adapted from: http://personal.georgiasouthern.edu/~dougt/rom.htm