Romanticism Transcendentalism Anti-Transcendentalism
Romanticism Time Period: early to mid 1800s Brought about as a reaction of the Age of Reason and the strict doctrines of Puritanism () A time when the natural world was glorified. 4/12/2017
Major Themes Importance of the individual Values the imagination and emotional side of human nature rather than rational (logical) side of human nature Some had a fascination with the supernatural. Writers had an optimistic outlook. 4/12/2017
Famous Romantic Writers Washington Irving Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 4/12/2017
The Breakdown of Romanticism 4/12/2017
Transcendentalism ~optimistic offshoot of Romanticism Time period: mid to late 1800s Transcendent: not realizable in human experience A belief that ‘transcendent forms’ of truth exist beyond reason and experience 4/12/2017
Values intuition as a means of gaining this higher truth Communing with nature made possible an intuitive connection with the entire universe This connection with all: God, mankind, and natural world was known as the Universal Oversoul. Valued non-conformity. 4/12/2017
Famous Transcendentalist Writers Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Walt Whitman 4/12/2017
Anti-Transcendentalism (Gothic) ~a pessimistic offshoot of Romanticism Time period: mid to late 1800s Known as the Dark Side of Individualism The focus on the imagination in Romanticism led to a focus on the demonic, the fantastic, and the insane for the Gothic 4/12/2017
Gothic writers took a pessimistic view of humans and saw the potential for evil in all people. ‘Essential truths’ about life were found in extreme situations or the darker side of human nature (greed, betrayal, fear, etc.) 4/12/2017
Famous Anti-Trans Writers Edgar Allen Poe Nathaniel Hawthorne (a descendent of the judge from The Crucible!!!!!) Also, famous Southern Gothic writers include William Faulkner and Flannery O’Connor 4/12/2017
Gothic Elements Settings- include large, drafty old houses that have "been in the family for years." Atmosphere of mystery and suspense A ghostly legend, an unexplainable occurrence, or a story about a horrible death or murder . Omens, foreshadowing, and dreams usually play a large role in the mysterious air that is created within the story.
Gothic Elements Include highly charged emotional states like: terror, a feeling that one is on the brink of insanity, anger, agitation, an exaggerated feeling of some impending doom, and obsessive love. Supernatural events: ghosts, doors that open themselves, unexplained sounds, etc. 4/12/2017
Gothic Elements Damsels in distress are frequent. Women who are frightened and confused, wandering around lost, or dying due to a slow and unexplainable ailment. Words designed to evoke images of gloom and doom: dark, foreboding, forbidding, ghostly, etc. 4/12/2017
Gothic Elements Romantic themes often involve the death of a man or woman in the throes of some great passion, the obsessive nature of a man or woman in love, or excessive grief one feels upon the loss of a loved one. 4/12/2017