AMERICAN ROMANTICISM

 Writers celebrated individualism, nature, imagination, creativity, and emotions  Interest in fantasy and supernatural  “deep”  Good triumphs over evil, usually  Strong focus on inner feelings  Imagination over reason/ intuition over fact  Short stories, novels, and poetry CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN ROMANTICISM, CONT’D

 The first imaginative/creative literature that was distinctly American  Washington Irving (folktales)  William Cullen Bryant (poetry)  James Fenimore Cooper (novels) EARLY ROMANTICS

 Most popular poets of the time.  Read at home by the fireside  Poems contained strong family values, patriotism, etc.  Often memorized in elementary schools  Representative Poets  Henry Wadsworth Longfellow  Oliver Wendell Holmes  James Russell Lowell  John Greanleaf Whittier FIRESIDE POETS

 Philosophy that came to America from Europe  Occurred after Revolutionary War  Belief that man’s nature is inherently good  Man and society are perfectible (utopia)  Stresses individualism, self-reliance, and intuition  Representative Authors:  Ralph Waldo Emerson  Henry David Thoreau TRANSCENDENTALISM

 Also known as Gothic or Anti- transcendentalism  Man’s nature is inherently evil  Whatever is wrong with society—sin, pain, evil– has to be fixed by fixing the individual man first  Use of supernatural  Strong use of symbolism  Dark landscapes, depressed characters  Representative authors:  Nathaniel Hawthorne  Herman Melville  Edgar Allan Poe DARK ROMANTICISM

THE SECRET TO UNDERSTANDING AMERICAN LITERATURE:

PuritanismRationalismRomanticism God God directly influences and controls the world Less emphasis on God Less emphasis on God, there is only natural order Things happen because God’s interventionLaws of natureDestiny Man’s Nature Man is inherently evilMan is inherently good Man is good, civilization corrupts Source of truth GodReason and LogicIntuition and self- reflection Fate We are predetermined what we are going to do in life, nothing changes that. God lets the world run its course without interfering We can influence our own lives, but we are destined for certain things Truth is available to The electEverybodyThose who commune with nature SO WHAT CHANGED?

Colonial Lit/Puritanism God controls universe in mysterious ways Holy Bible contains all truth Diaries, journals, personal narratives Revolutionary Lit/Rationalism More logic/reason based Mankind should seek further Truth/knowledge Political/patriotic writings Romanticism Less emphasis on God, only a natural order More idealistic Truth comes from intuition and self reflection REMEMBER: EACH LITERARY PERIOD IS A REACTION TO THE PERIOD THAT CAME BEFORE IT.

 Take notes on the following videos  Washington Irving: Bio, works, and style Washington Irving: Bio, works, and style  Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Summary and Analysis Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Summary and Analysis VIDEO TIME