1. Dark Romanticism and the Gothic Literature Movement

5. Romanticism
• Movement that originated in Europe in the 18th century involving literature, art, and philosophy
Largely a rebellion against the Age of Enlightenment and Neoclassicism (logic, reason, rationality)
Stressed the importance of the individual, the imaginative, the emotional, and the irrational
Characteristics generally include: pursuing emotion and imagination to find spiritual truth; relying on intuition over intellect; examining humanity’s connection to nature

6. Transcendentalism Divinity is within all nature and humanity. Beliefs:
Transcendental Knowledge (emotion, individualism, glorification of the past & nature)
Individuality
Personal freedom
Indian Religions
Idealism
Closely connected to the beliefs of the Romantics, but tried to embrace the empiricism of science.
Transcendental Knowledge (based on German Romantic movement--emotion, individualism, glorification of the past & nature).

7. Dark Romanticism
A literary subgenre of Romantic Literature that emerged from the transcendental philosophical movement popular in nineteenth-century America.
Works in the dark romantic spirit were influenced by Transcendentalism, but did not entirely embrace the ideas of Transcendentalism.

8. Dark Romanticism The writers write in styles similar to Romanticism
Excess in nature
Lots of emotion
Symbols aplenty
But there were some differences…

9. Transcendentalism vs. Dark Romanticism
transcendental movement = optimistic, divinity, the sublime, power of individual
Dark Romantic less optimistic about mankind, nature, and divinity.
The Romantic era was characterized by flair, extravagance, emotion and imagination

10. Transcendentalism vs. Dark Romanticism
For Dark Romantics, nature = sinister power
For Transcendentalists, nature = divine and universal mediator.
Some, including Poe, Hawthorne and Melville, found Transcendental beliefs too optimistic and egotistical—reaction against this seen in their texts

11. The Dark Side of Nature Dark Romantics explore the dark side of nature
Natural world = dark, decaying, and mysterious; when it does reveal truth to man, its revelations are evil and hellish.
Not about religion…rather, more science led

12. The Dark Side of Humanity
Individuals prone to sin and self-destruction
Murder, sin, corruption, supernatural
Main characters are deeply troubled…or will deeply trouble another
Often shows individuals failing in their attempts to make changes for the better.
Transcendentalists see individuals as inherently possessing divinity and wisdom.

13. Themes of Dark Romanticism
Themes of horror, tragedy, the macabre and the supernatural
Relies on human psyche’s attraction to fear, pain, and tragedy
Led to the birth of the Gothic style and greatly influenced music, film, and art.

14. Gothic Literary Movement
A subcategory of Romanticism
Literature and art that reflects the supernatural, exotic, mysterious, and even satanic in some cases
Often included medieval or gloomy settings, violent incidents, and/or macabre material
Includes works such as Dracula, Frankenstein, and Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

15. Gothic Literary Movement
Work to inspire terror, including through accounts of the macabre and supernatural, haunted structures, and the search for identity
Skeptics find Gothic Literature melodramatic and predictable
More about sheer terror than Dark Romanticism's themes of dark mystery and skepticism regarding man.

16. Modern Gothic There are modern adaptations of the term “gothic”
Gothic – literature that combine elements of both Romanticism and Horror; exploration of the surrealism of human nature
Usually these elements combine to form mysteries, ghost stories, spiritual awakenings, delving into the “sublime”
Gothic does not mean evil, however this genre is where we start seeing actual “villains”

17. Emily Dickenson
A reclusive 19th century poet who lived in most of her adult life in isolation
She was a deeply energetic, intense person
She wrote and read widely but wasn’t published until after her death
Her family organized and published her poetry, but it didn’t gain national recognition until 1955

18. Nathaniel Hawthorne
Born in Salem, Massachusetts to a family with a long New England history
Changed his name from Hathorne to Hawthorne to separate himself from the legacy of judge Hathorne (witch trials)
Friends with transcendentalists but was rather reclusive with his wife
Works: Scarlet Letter, Minister’s Black Veil

19. Herman Melville
Raised in a prominent New York family until his father’s death
At age 12 he was attempting to support his family with odd jobs
His adventures as a seaman inspired him to write
Works: Moby Dick, Bartleby the Scrivener

20. Edgar Allen Poe
1/19/1809 – 10/7/1849
Poe’s writings are synonymous with horror and the horror genre
Bleak imagery and bleak outlook on life
You can bet that if you are reading one of his stories, it deals with death and/or the macabre
Macabre – Grim/ghastly atmosphere

21. Impact of Life on Literature
Events in Poe’s stories and poems often reflect the horrors of his own life. They include: – The death and burial of a beautiful woman – The idea of undying love – Deification of a dead woman’s memory – The portrayal of women as angelic creatures – Fascination with death and a desperate need to make sense of the afterlife

22. Literary Features to Analyze
Point of View (1st person, 3rd person omniscient, limited, and objective)
use of setting
function of the narrator
mood
tone
classical allusions
symbolism
creation and resolution of suspense
diction
theme
personification
motifs