1. Post Revolutionary War With a new country came the push to prove that we had obtained cultural maturity. Two Schools of Thought Emerged : That America should experiment and develop a radically new form of literature. That America should look to the classical European approach and seek to meet those standards. (Show the world we have same standards and are educated.) This would form both the romantics and later give way to the transcendentalists

2. Romance Was: Characterized By: Reliance of the imagination Subjectivity of approach Freedom of Thought and intuition Idealizing Nature Rights of the Individual/ common man/ social causes

3. Romance… A. Disclaimed Standard Literary Forms Emphasis on the importance of feeling Imagination over reason Feeling over Form Emotion over Logic Intuition over Science Allowed for fast plots/ mixed genres

4. Major Themes 1. Nature Concern with the natural surroundings Delight in unspoiled scenery/ life of the rural dwellers Change is coming/ this is both romantic and melancholy: a way of life is threatened and ending Depths of human nature Creation of the other Beauty of Frontier Life Idealizing nature/ farm life and Indians

5. 2. Lure of the Exotic Love of the picturesque (Poe) Preoccupation with heroic past and the societal ills found within (Hawthorne/ Irving) Delight with Mystery & Superstition (Poe/ Irving)

6. 3. Supernatural Trend towards the irrational and supernatural Supernatural controls and guides action Concern for self identity

7. Moral Lesson/ Themes A statement about societal values, ills, and human nature Subtle and usually allows for a variety of interpretations Not always present or obvious

8. Primary Creative Elements Mood Created through the narrators thoughts/mind & setting Setting Isolated Undesirable Picturesque/ larger than life Should include a supernatural element Details are important (weather, light, surroundings)

9. Primary Elements Continued Suspense Suspense is sequential Mix of physical and psychological feelings Relies on imagination The ending while satisfying should allow for a what if scenario

10. Characterization is created by: *appearance *actions *speech *inner thoughts and feelings *what others say *environment.