American RomanticismAmerican RomanticismAmerican RomanticismAmerican RomanticismEnglish III: American Literature

� Westward Expansion◦ 1803 Louisiana Purchase doubled the country’s size causing Americans to move and settle farther west to make money and/or gain land

◦ Native Americans were removed from their homes (The Indian Removal Act of 1830)

� “manifest destiny” the idea that it was the

The Spirit of ExplorationThe Spirit of Exploration

� “manifest destiny” the idea that it was the destiny of America to expand to the Pacific Ocean and Mexican territory

� America annexed Texas from Mexico in 1845

� Literature was affected by the changes in society

� The War of 1812 caused an interruption in trade with Britain

� As a result, America had to become more independent◦ The American Industrial Revolution caused

◦ More growth and opportunity

Growth of IndustryGrowth of Industry

◦ More growth and opportunity◦ Shift from majority agrarian economy to

industry-based◦ Negative changes to the way people lived

� Long hours, low wages, harsh working conditions, expansion of slavery to meet the rise of agricultural demands (specifically cotton)

The NegativesThe Negatives

•The rise of commercialism

•Hectic pace of life

•Lack of morals and conscience

The ResultThe Result•Turn to nature and self

Writers focused on the negative affects of industrialization

•Turn to simply parts of life, truth, and beauty

Neoclassicism Romanticism

� Admired and imitated classical forms

� Valued reason

� Strict Puritan era

� Admired nature� Valued emotions and

imagination� Reaction against strict

Puritan era� Captured the energy and

character of a growing country

Themes and Writings of the Themes and Writings of the American Romantic MovementAmerican Romantic Movement

� Strict Puritan era

� Responded to fear of God

country� Saw limits of reason� Celebrated the individual

spirit & human nature� Fascination with the

supernatural

� A group of New England poets who used poetry to uplift people and bring about social reform: abolition of slavery, woman’s rights, work conditions, and temperance (alcohol usage)

� President Jackson took office in 1829.

The Fireside PoetsThe Fireside Poets

� He was against the government being controlled by the wealthy

� Focused on common people

� Led by Ralph Waldo Emerson

� Philosophical and literary movement

� Focused on the simple life

� Celebrates truth found in nature

TranscendentalistsTranscendentalists

� Emphasized on American Ideas:

Optimism, Freedom, and Self-Reliance

� Immanuel Kant was a German Philosopher who developed “Transcendent Form”

� American Spin on transcendentalism◦ Every individual is capable of discovering this higher truth through intuition

◦ People are inherently good◦ People should follow their own beliefs no

TranscendentalistsTranscendentalists--Immanuel KantImmanuel Kant

◦ People should follow their own beliefs no matter how unorthodox

◦ Greatly opposed Puritan heritage, but also disagreed with rising commercialism

� Emphasized moral themes

� Were viewed as equals of British poets

� Individualism and appreciation for nature

� Championed the common man

� Committed to social reform◦ Abolition, women’s rights, temperance, improvement of factory conditions

Fireside PoetsFireside Poets

improvement of factory conditions

OPTIMISM OF THE

TRANSCENDENTALISTS

MOVEMENT BEGAN TO

FADE WHEN CONFRONTED FADE WHEN CONFRONTED

WITH THE DIFFICULTY

ABOLISHING SLAVERY

TranscendentalistsTranscendentalists

� The “Brooding” romantics/

anti-transcendentalists were not optimistic

� Anti-Transcendentalists Writers: ◦ Edgar Allan Poe

◦ Nathaniel Hawthorne

American GothicAmerican Gothic

◦ Nathaniel Hawthorne

◦ Herman Melville

�Characteristics

◦Deep awareness of human capacity for evil

◦Interests in complex and often mysterious human behavior

AntiAnti--transcendentalist writerstranscendentalist writers

mysterious human behavior

◦Emphasized emotion, nature, the individual and the unusual

� Grotesque characters (ex. Chillingsworth)� Bizarre situations (a “devil” child haunting a

man until he confesses his sins)� Violent events (ex. Bricking someone alive in

a wall)� Once the Romantics unleashed the

imagination and the restrictions of reason, writers were allowed to explore all sides of

Gothic Elements Gothic Elements

writers were allowed to explore all sides of human-nature◦ Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein

◦ Monsters, vampires, etc.

� Satire� Imagery� Alliteration� Repetition� Blank Verse� Iambic Pentameter� Enjambment

Structure

Literary focusLiterary focus

� Structure� Rhyme schemes� Author’s Purpose