2. Romantics Leaving Science behind and heading to Nature in search of truth.

3. Romanticism Is the opposite of the Age of Reason in many ways. Writers began to create fiction pieces for the first time. Not a “true” unique and American Literature though. That would have to wait until 1840. Many of the best stories were Americanized versions of other culture’s tales.

4. Different Approaches Rip Van Winkle –Heads towards Nature –Lazy –poor Ben Franklin –Heads towards city –Extremely productive –rich

5. 3 Focuses The period was a collection of many different styles all focused on the power of our imagination. Mind – think of the Gothic tales of EAP History –Think of JFC’s Leatherstocking Tales Nature –Fireside Poets including Longfellow and Bryant

6. The Romantics believed: That rational thought or REASON was inferior to truths we could obtain with INTUITION. INTUITION –What truths cannot be proven with science? “For the Romantics, the imagination, spontaneity, individual feelings, and nature were of greater value than reason, logic, planning, and cultivation.”

7. POETRY Poetry was the highest work of the imagination for the Romantics. They valued the lessons from poetry as much as Ben Franklin valued his science.

8. From the text... “The Romantic sensibility sought to rise above dull realities to a realm of higher truth.” Explore an exotic setting in the more “natural” past or in a world removed from the industrialization of their time Observe this world until “dull reality” faded away and Nature reveals beauty and truth to us.

9. The Romantic Novel