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American RomanticismAmerican Romanticism

1800 - 18601800 - 1860

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IntroductionIntroduction

The theme of The theme of journeyjourney as a declaration of as a declaration of independenceindependence Bryant, Homes, Whittier, Longfellow, and Bryant, Homes, Whittier, Longfellow, and Lowell are Romantic poetsLowell are Romantic poets Irving is the Father of American LiteratureIrving is the Father of American Literature Cooper is the Father of the American Cooper is the Father of the American novelnovel Poe is the inventor of the American Short Poe is the inventor of the American Short StoryStory

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IntroductionIntroduction

Emerson is the Father of American Emerson is the Father of American TranscendentalismTranscendentalism

Thoreau is a famous practical Thoreau is a famous practical transcendentalisttranscendentalist

Melville and Hawthorne are Anti-RomanticsMelville and Hawthorne are Anti-Romantics

Dickinson and Whitman are bridge poets Dickinson and Whitman are bridge poets between American Romanticism and the between American Romanticism and the 2020thth century century

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IntroductionIntroduction

The rationalistic view of urban life was The rationalistic view of urban life was replaced by the Romantic viewreplaced by the Romantic view

Rationalists saw cities as a place to find Rationalists saw cities as a place to find success and self-realizationsuccess and self-realization

Romantics saw the city as a place of Romantics saw the city as a place of moral corruption, poverty, and deathmoral corruption, poverty, and death

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IntroductionIntroduction

The Romantic journey is to the The Romantic journey is to the countrysidecountryside The Romantics associated the country The Romantics associated the country with independence, moral clarity, and with independence, moral clarity, and puritypurity The Gothic Romantic, E.A. Poe, saw the The Gothic Romantic, E.A. Poe, saw the country as a place of phantasm country as a place of phantasm Irving saw the country as idyllic and as an Irving saw the country as idyllic and as an escapeescape

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The Romantic SensibilityThe Romantic Sensibility

Romanticism: valuing feeling and intuition Romanticism: valuing feeling and intuition over reasonover reason

Romanticism: viewing life as we would Romanticism: viewing life as we would like it to be, rather than how it really islike it to be, rather than how it really is

Romanticism began in Germany and Romanticism began in Germany and influenced literature, music, and artinfluenced literature, music, and art

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The Romantic SensibilityThe Romantic Sensibility

Romanticism is a reaction against Romanticism is a reaction against Rationalism Rationalism

The development of slums and poverty The development of slums and poverty due to the Industrial Revolution turned due to the Industrial Revolution turned people from Rationalismpeople from Rationalism

Romantics believed that imagination, Romantics believed that imagination, emotion, spontaneity, feelings, and nature emotion, spontaneity, feelings, and nature were more important than rational thoughtwere more important than rational thought

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Characteristics of RomanticismCharacteristics of Romanticism

values feelings over intuitionvalues feelings over intuition values the power of the imaginationvalues the power of the imagination seeks the beauty of unspoiled natureseeks the beauty of unspoiled nature values youthful innocencevalues youthful innocence values individual freedomvalues individual freedom values the lessons of the pastvalues the lessons of the past finds beauty in exotic locales, the supernatural, finds beauty in exotic locales, the supernatural, and in the imaginationand in the imagination values poetry as the highest expression of the values poetry as the highest expression of the imaginationimagination values myth, legend, and folk culturevalues myth, legend, and folk culture

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Romantic EscapismRomantic Escapism

Romantic writing looked for comforting or Romantic writing looked for comforting or exotic settings from the pastexotic settings from the past

This was found in the supernatural, in This was found in the supernatural, in nature, and/or in folk legendsnature, and/or in folk legends

Romantics believed in Romantics believed in contemplatingcontemplating, or , or becoming onebecoming one with the natural world with the natural world

The Gothic novel emerged from The Gothic novel emerged from RomanticismRomanticism

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Romantic EscapismRomantic Escapism

Romanticism also used lyrical poetry as a Romanticism also used lyrical poetry as a means to contemplate the beauty of means to contemplate the beauty of naturenature

It focused on simple natural beautiesIt focused on simple natural beauties

Its intent was to seek truth through a calm Its intent was to seek truth through a calm contemplation of a simple natural beautycontemplation of a simple natural beauty

Romantics saw God in this contemplationRomantics saw God in this contemplation

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Romantic EscapismRomantic Escapism a.k.a. Dark Romanticisma.k.a. Dark Romanticism

The Gothic novel had wild, haunted The Gothic novel had wild, haunted landscapeslandscapes

It had supernatural events in the plotIt had supernatural events in the plot

It was often mysteriousIt was often mysterious

The Gothic concept had roots in France, The Gothic concept had roots in France, Germany, and EnglandGermany, and England

Edgar Allan Poe was Romanticism’s great Edgar Allan Poe was Romanticism’s great American writerAmerican writer

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The American NovelThe American Novel

Most American Romantic writers imitated Most American Romantic writers imitated the European writing stylethe European writing style American Romantic novelists broke away American Romantic novelists broke away from the European tradition and from the European tradition and discovered uniquely American topics and discovered uniquely American topics and settingssettings American novelists explored the vast American novelists explored the vast unknown lands – something the unknown lands – something the Europeans could not doEuropeans could not do

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The American NovelThe American Novel

James Fenimore Cooper was the first James Fenimore Cooper was the first American novelist to break from European American novelist to break from European traditiontradition

His novels were set in the American His novels were set in the American frontierfrontier

His central character, Natty Bumppo, was His central character, Natty Bumppo, was the first American literary herothe first American literary hero

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The American NovelThe American Novel

Bumppo appeared in a series of Cooper Bumppo appeared in a series of Cooper novels as other characters: Hawkeye, novels as other characters: Hawkeye, Deerslayer, Leatherstocking, etc.Deerslayer, Leatherstocking, etc.

He was virtuous, moral, distrustful of city He was virtuous, moral, distrustful of city life, one with nature, etc.life, one with nature, etc.

His skills were almost superhumanHis skills were almost superhuman

Cooper’s series of novels were called Cooper’s series of novels were called The The Leatherstocking TalesLeatherstocking Tales

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The New American HeroThe New American Hero

American Romantic literature created this American Romantic literature created this unique personunique person he was youthfulhe was youthful he was innocenthe was innocent he was intuitivehe was intuitive he was one with naturehe was one with nature he was a loner – uneasy around womenhe was a loner – uneasy around women he was handsomehe was handsome he was bravehe was brave he was moral and honorablehe was moral and honorable

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American Romantic PoetryAmerican Romantic Poetry

Most Romantic poets worked within Most Romantic poets worked within conventional European literary structuresconventional European literary structures

They proved that American poetry could They proved that American poetry could reflect American subject matter, yet still reflect American subject matter, yet still hold to conventional poetic stylehold to conventional poetic style

Most American Romantic poets wrote Most American Romantic poets wrote about the pastabout the past

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American Romantic PoetryAmerican Romantic Poetry

The Fireside Poets, a Boston group of The Fireside Poets, a Boston group of Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Lowell, Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Lowell, were widely read and loved in Americawere widely read and loved in America They were the TV of the American They were the TV of the American Romantic period and families gathered Romantic period and families gathered around the fireside to be entertained by around the fireside to be entertained by their poetrytheir poetry Their subject matter was comfortable and Their subject matter was comfortable and instructionalinstructional