1. American Romanticism 1800-1860 What is Romanticism? Romanticism is a movement of the 18th century. It was artistic, literary, and intellectual. It placed emphasis on the emotions and the use of imagination.

2. When things are not going good and they seem to be going from bad to worse, how do you escape? Escapism

3. The City, Grim and Gray

4. Exploring the Historical Period: Cholera The cholera epidemic was part of a worldwide outbreak. Cholera is a bacterial infection of the digestive system that causes diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, and severe muscle cramps, sometimes ending in death from kidney failure or heart attack. It is contracted by ingesting contaminated food or water.

5. 3 Big Ideas of American Romanticism:  Optimism and Individualism  Kinship with Nature  The Power of Darkness

6. Big Idea #1: Optimism and Individualism Rise of the Common People  Ordinary citizens became more involved with American society. Transcendentalism (Idealism)  Intuition is a more valuable guide than sensory experience in truly understanding nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Outlook  The universe exists for humanity’s benefit.

7. Big Idea #2: Kinship with Nature Henry Thoreau  Contact with wild nature refreshed the human spirit  Nature can also teach us respect for its destructive ways  famous piece “Civil Disobedience” argued that the individual conscious is more important than the law

8. Big Idea #3: The Power of Darkness  Herman Melville believed Emerson’s optimism was “nonsense” that ignored the “disagreeable facts” of life Gothic Horror  Horror relies chiefly on atmosphere or mood to achieve its effects  American Romantics recognized the power of darkness.

9. Characteristics of American Romanticism (copy all ten in your notes) 1.Values feeling and intuition over reason 2.Places faith in inner experiences and the power of the imagination 3.Rejects a fake civilization and seeks nature 4.Prefers youthful innocence to educated sophistication 5.Champions individual freedom and the worth of the individual 6.Contemplates nature’s beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development 7.Looks backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress 8.Finds beauty and truth in exotic locales, the supernatural realm, and the inner world of the imagination 9.Sees poetry as the highest expression for the imagination 10.Finds inspiration in myth, legend, and folk culture