1. 1830-1865 American Romanticism

2. Why “Romanticism”? It is called the Age of Romanticism because of the ‘romantic’ view of the writers and thinkers of the time towards nature and mankind, not love.

3. Central Ideals of Romanticism Belief in innate goodness of man in his natural state A reverence for nature Idealism: seeing the best in situations Revolt against political authority and social convention, i.e., Neo-Classicism and Puritanism Exaltation of physical passion Persistent attraction to the supernatural, the morbid, and the cruel.

4. Romanticism is Characterized by: A reliance on the imagination A subjectivity of approach Freedom and thought/ intuition over science The idealization of nature An emphasis of feeling over form

5. The Dark Side of Romantisicm Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne all reacted against the highly idealized nature of the Romantic notion of Transcendentalism These writers recognized evil, negativism, and the dark side of life. They saw power in acknowledging sin and the darkness of man.

6. Dark or Gothic Romanticism, continued For Dark Romantics, the natural world is dark, decaying, and mysterious; when it does reveal truth to man, its revelations are evil and hellish. Whereas Transcendentalists advocate social reform when appropriate, works of Dark Romanticism frequently show individuals failing in their attempts to make changes for the better.

7. Major Motifs of Romanticism Nature  A concern w/ natural surroundings, delight in rural life, understanding of the other, idealization of farm life, Indians Lure of the Exotic  Love of the picturesque (Poe), Preoccupation w/ heroic past and societal ills (Hawthorne, Irving), Delight w/ mystery and superstition The Supernatural  A trend towards the irrational or supernatural, belief that supernatural controls and guides actions, supernatural as contributing to or influencing one’s self-concept

8. Primary Creative Elements of Romanticism Mood  Created through narrator’s thoughts, mind, setting Setting  Isolated, undesirable, picturesque, larger than life, supernatural elements, weather and light are significant Suspense  It is sequential, mix of the physical and the psychological, it relies on imagination, the ending often allows for a ‘what if’ scenario

9. Your turn to be a Romantic Please create a half-page description of a place that utilizes the traits of Dark Romanticism as articulated on the earlier slides. Specifically, you need to incorporate suspense, weather, dark and foreboding nature, a sense of imagination, and the supernatural. You may describe a real place (your bedroom, for example) or an imagined one. Be creative! Use imagery and vivid language.