Romanticism 1800-1860

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Romanticism1800-1860

• We will walk on our own feet we will work with
  our own hands we will speak with our own mindsA
  nation of men will for the first time exist,
  because each believes in himself inspired by the
  Divine Soul which also inspires all men.Ralph
  Waldo Emerson

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Romanticism began as a revolt against the
literary voice of Europe and the need to find a
truly American voice.
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Comparing the Romantics to previous literature

• Puritans God over logic
• Age of Reason Science and logic over faith
• Romanticism Intuition (feelings) over logic

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Historical Background
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Independence

• End of the war and freedom from British rule left
  the people with a sense of optimism.

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Frontier

• The Louisiana Purchase and The Gold Rush in
  California opened up the United States to
  exploration and travel.
• People felt free.

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Immigration

• People all over the world heard of the American
  freedom and came in droves.
• The diversity of America became one of its finest
  assets.

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Scientific Discovery

• New inventions strengthened the
• American confidence, but also
• added fear for the future.

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Industrialization

• The agricultural world began to struggle against
  the vast industrialism of the American cities.

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Characteristics of Romantic Literature

• Imagination The active part of the soul.
• Intuition Feelings are important.
• Idealism Striving for a perfect, Utopian world
• Inspiration Intuitive but accurate force
  (perhaps supernatural) stimulates creative
  activity
• Individuality Finding the unique voice of
  Americans

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Characteristics of Romantic
LiteratureRomantic does not mean love.
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Nature

• Nature has power, good and badmore than man.
• Nature represented freedom.
• The cities lead to mans downfallfind solace in
  nature.
• Nature must be respected.
• People were looking for an escape from the
  troubles of daily life.

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Supernatural Elements

• Known as Gothic, some Romantic authors
  preferred the dark side of nature, often
  incorporating fear into their pieces.

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Romantic HeroThe Common Man

• Humans are naturally good, but corrupted by urban
  life.
• Heroes do not have to be muscle men. Sometimes
  the hero can be flawed, unique or even strange.
• Romantic writers showed contempt for the
  middle/upper class.

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Violently Melodramatic Plots

• Emotions became a priority in Romantic
  literature, so the plots had to be overly
  emotional, not always positively.

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Types of Literature

• Poetry still structured, focused on the American
  experience
• Short Stories
• Novels James Fenimore Cooper, the Father of the
  American Novel, created Bumppo, an American
  literary hero.
• Non-fiction continues...newspapers, magazine, etc.

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Important Names
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Washington Irving

• Known as the Father of the American short
  story. He wrote the first stories set in
  Americaeven though he copies Dutch folktales.
• The Legend of Sleepy HollowRip Van Winkle

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Edgar Allen Poe

• Invented the Detective story. He wrote many of
  the first mysteries in America.
• Known as a Gothic writer, his writings focused
  on death, love and the irony of life.
• The RavenThe Fall of the House of Usher

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William Cullen Bryant

• Best known for his poetry, establishing the
  Romantic movement in America and for his
  journalistic work.
• Supported basic human rights, including womens
  right, freedom of speech and the abolition of
  slavery.
• Thanatopsis
• To a Waterfowl

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Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Wrote The Scarlet Letter (published 1850)
• Chose the Puritans as his common subject
• Somewhat nontraditional romantic, as he was more
  preoccupied with sin and, so, texts are often
  more dark