American Romanticism

1
American Romanticism

• 1800-1860

2
General Overview

• America had been formed but the people had not
  created their own identity. This time period
  embodies the quest for that identity. Emphasis
  was on the individual, nature, and feelings.

3
World Events

• 1810 Mexican war
• 1837 Queen Victoria is crowned
• 1842 Foreign trade starts in Europe/China
• 1846 Ireland potato famine
• 1859 Darwins theory of evolution

4
U.S. Events

• 1803 Louisiana Purchase
• 1804 Lewis Clark start expedition
• 1830 Steam-powered trains
• 1830 Underground railroad
• 1838 Trail of Tears Cherokees forced
• 1848 Elizabeth Stanton starts womens rights
• 1849 California gold rush
• 1854 U.S. starts free trade

5
Literary Notables

• 1828 Noah Webster starts dictionary
• 1841 Ralph Waldo Emerson writes Self
  Reliance
• 1842 Henry Wadsworth Longfellow writes a
  collection of poems

6
More Literary Notables

• 1850 Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet
  Letter about Puritan beliefs
• 1851 Herman Melville wrote Moby Dick

7
More Literary Figures

• 1854 Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden
• 1855 Walt Whitman published his poems in Leaves
  of Grass

8
Characteristics of Romanticism

• Feeling over reason
• Imagination, inner experience, youthful innocence
• Regard for individual freedom and worth of an
  individual
• Use of literary devices such as metaphor, simile,
  personification

9
Sub-Category of the EraGothic Fiction

• Use of haunting, eerie settings
• Romantic interest in imagination and hidden
  truths
• Reaction against optimism
• Exploration of evil and irrational depths of
  human mind

10
Authors that are Gothic

• Poe The Raven The Fall of the House of
  Usher
• Washington Irving The Devil and Tom Walker
• Nathaniel Hawthorne The Ministers Black Veil

11
Something to Ponder

• Why would the Gothic literature erupt during this
  romantic era?

12
Application

• What evidence do we have of this time period in
  our literature today?

13
Sum Up

• Use of figurative language
• Individualism/inner experience
• Nature as opposed to civilization
• Dark elements (gothic)