American Romanticism

1800 - 1860

“We will walk with our own feetwe will work with our own handswe will speak our own minds”(Ralph Waldo Emerson).

Romanticism A movement in art, literature, and music

during the 18th century A school of thought which values

feelings and intuition over reason Began in Germany and Great Britain

British Romantics – Coleridge, Wordsworth, Shelley, Keats, & Bryon

Didn’t reach America until years later

Romanticism vs. Rationalism Romanticism developed, in

part, as a revolt against the Age of Reason Rationalism – the belief that

humans can arrive at truth by using reason rather than relying on the authority of the past, on religious faith, or intuition “The Declaration of

Independence” based on Rationalist principles

Industrialism led to terrible working conditions and poor living conditions in cities – revealed the limits of reason

American Romanticism A journey away from the corruption of

civilization and constraints of rational thought

The imagination can discover truths that rational mind could not reach

Imagination, individual feelings, and wild nature are of greater value than reason, logic, and cultivation

Characteristics of Romanticism Values feeling and intuition over reason Places faith in imagination Nature is preferred over civilization Prefers youthful innocence to educated

sophistication Champions individual freedom and the

worth of the individual

Characteristics of Romanticism Reflects on nature’s beauty as a path to

spiritual and moral development Looks backward to the wisdom of the past and

distrusts progress Finds beauty and truth in exotic locales, the

supernatural realm, and the inner world of the imagination

Sees poetry as the highest expression of the imagination

Finds inspiration in myth, legend, and folklore

Romantic Escapism Romantics wanted to rise above dull

realities to a realm of higher truth Through the exploration of the past and of

exotic, even supernatural, realms--the Gothic novel--old legends and folklore

Through the contemplation of the natural world--lyric poetry--its underlying beauty and truth

The American Novel Prior to American Romanticism, most

American literature was based on European models

The development of the American novel coincided with westward expansion, with the growth of a nationalist spirit, and with the rapid spread of cities

Europeans vs. Americans Europeans had an image of the American as

unsophisticated and uncivilized The rationalist hero (like Ben Franklin), was worldly,

educated, sophisticated, and set out to make a place for himself in civilization

American Romantic novelists set out to prove that truths were waiting to be discovered not in dusty libraries, crowed cities, or glittering court life, but in the American wilderness that was unknown and unavailable to Europeans The American Romantic hero was youthful, innocent,

intuitive, and close to nature

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851) Explored uniquely

American settings and characters: frontier communities, American Indians, backwoodsmen, and the wilderness of New York and Pennsylvania

He created the first American hero, Natty Bumppo (The Last of the Mohicans, The Deerslayer)

The American Romantic Hero Is young or possesses youthful qualities Is innocent and pure of purpose Has a sense of honor based not on society’s

rules but on some higher principle Has a knowledge of people and life based on

deep, intuitive understanding, not on formal learning

Loves nature and avoids town life Quests for some higher truth in the natural

world

Fireside Poets Romantic poets wanted to prove

that Americans were not unsophisticated

Modeled themselves after European literary traditions rather than by crafting a unique, American voice

Used typical English themes, meter, and imagery

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and James Russell Lowell are the fireside poets

Poems read aloud at the fireside as family entertainment