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1800-1865AMERICAN
ROMANTICISM
Writers celebrated individualism, nature, imagination, creativity, and emotions Interest in fantasy and
supernatural “deep” Good triumphs over evil, usually Strong focus on inner feelings Imagination over reason/
intuition over factShort stories, novels, and
poetry
CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN ROMANTICISM, CONT’D
The first imaginative/creative literature that was distinctly AmericanWashington Irving (folktales)
William Cullen Bryant (poetry)
James Fenimore Cooper (novels)
EARLY ROMANTICS
Most popular poets of the time.
Read at home by the fireside
Poems contained strong family values, patriotism, etc.
Often memorized in elementary schools
Representative Poets Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow Oliver Wendell
Holmes James Russell
Lowell John Greanleaf
Whittier
FIRESIDE POETS
Philosophy that came to America from Europe
Occurred after Revolutionary War
Belief that man’s nature is inherently good
Man and society are perfectible (utopia)
Stresses individualism, self-reliance, and intuition
Representative Authors: Ralph Waldo
Emerson Henry David
Thoreau
TRANSCENDENTALISM
Also known as Gothic or Anti-transcendentalism
Man’s nature is inherently evil
Whatever is wrong with society—sin, pain, evil– has to be fi xed by fi xing the individual man fi rst
Use of supernatural
Strong use of symbolism
Dark landscapes, depressed characters
Representative authors: Nathaniel
Hawthorne Herman Melville Edgar Allan Poe
DARK ROMANTICISM
THE SECRET TO UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN LITERATURE:
Every literary
period is a reaction to
the period that
came before it.
Puritanism Rationalism Romanticism
GodGod directly influences and controls the world
Less emphasis on God
Less emphasis on God, there is only natural order
Things happen because
God’s intervention Laws of nature Destiny
Man’s Nature
Man is inherently evil Man is inherently good
Man is good, civilization corrupts
Source of truth
God Reason and Logic Intuition and self-reflection
Fate
We are predetermined what we are going to do in life, nothing changes that.
God lets the world run its course without interfering
We can influence our own lives, but we are destined for certain things
Truth is available to
The elect Everybody Those who commune with nature
SO WHAT CHANGED?
Colonial Lit/Puritanism
• God controls universe in mysterious ways
• Holy Bible contains all truth
• Diaries, journals, personal narratives
Revolutionary Lit/Rationalism
• More logic/reason based
• Mankind should seek further Truth/knowledge
• Political/patriotic writings
Romanticism
• Less emphasis on God, only a natural order
• More idealistic• Truth comes from intuition and self reflection
REMEMBER: EACH LITERARY PERIOD IS A REACTION TO THE PERIOD THAT CAME BEFORE IT.
Take notes on the following videos Washington Irving: Bio, works, and style Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Summary and Analysis
VIDEO TIME