merican omanticism Unit II

Drawing Contrasts Unit I, Part 2: Puritans’ emphasis on spirituality Unit I, Parts 2-3 (Edwards and Franklin): Transitional thinking reflected in the literature Unit I, Part 3 : Founding Fathers’ trust in rationality (The Age of Reason) Unit II: Romantics’ embracing of emotions, imagination, intuition, and individuality

Time Line Louisiana Purchase 1803 Lewis and Clark Expedition Introduction of the Steamboat ~ 1807 War of 1812 Publication of Bryant’s “Thanatopsis” 1817 Publication of Irving’s Sketch Book 1819 Introduction of Cooper’s The Leatherstocking Tales novel series 1823

Time Line (continued) Webster’s dictionary of American English 1828 Underground Railroad organization ~1830 Tom Thumb Steam Locomotive ~ 1830 (The Railroad would become the center of the nation’s economy.) Emerson’s Nature 1836 Telegraph 1837

Time Line (continued) “Trail of Tears” 1838 Publication of Poe’s “The Fall of the House of Usher” 1839 First organized baseball game 1846 Publication of Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter 1850

Time Line (continued) Publication of Melville’s Moby-Dick, dedicated to Hawthorne, 1851 Publication of Thoreau’s Walden 1854 Longfellow’s The Courtship of Miles Standish 1858

Major Themes 1. NATURE Writers describe the truth from, the beauty in, and their reverence for nature. Scenes include American locales familiar to the authors, as well as the unknown frontier. Many of the writers are from Massachusetts, so beach scenes and snow scenes are common.

Nature Theme (continued) “To him who in the love of Nature holds/ Communion with her visible forms, she speaks/ A various language....” Bryant, “Thanatopsis”

Major Themes 2. HUMAN NATURE Writers describe an exploration into, the irrationality of, and the mysteries within human nature. This psychological literature often delves into one’s fear of death. “True!--nervous--very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad?”--Poe, “The Tell-Tale Heart”

Major Themes 3. The SUPERNATURAL Supernatural events are portrayed as happening in reality or else in the characters’ minds only. Light-hearted folk tales, as well as the darker gothic tales, are popular.

Major Themes 4. OUR NATION’S PAST There is a new “Spirit of Nationalism.” The belief that our national past shapes our national character is strong. The hero of Cooper’s The Leatherstocking Tales, Natty Bumppo, best illustrates this molding.

Minor Themes Intuition vs. reason Imagination vs. experience Innocence vs. sophistication Poetry as the highest form of expression Women’s rights

Writers and their Most Famous Works Bryant - “first national spokesman for a ‘religion of nature” - “Thanatopsis” Irving - an accused plagiarist who reshapes German folk tales - Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Cooper - first professional American novelist - The Leatherstocking Tales Poe - poet, critic, refiner of short story forms - “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher”

Other Arts - Music Patriotic, emotional compositions Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner” Samuel Smith’s “My Country, ‘tis of Thee”

Other Arts – Painting Historical Events (Fort McHenry, the Alamo, etc.) Landscapes (western frontier, New York’s Catskills Mountains, etc.) The Hudson River School of artists are most famous for their landscape paintings of this period.

Hudson River School The artist is unknown, but the work is considered to be from this group of painters.

Quotations “He, who from zone to zone,/ Guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight,/ In the long way that I must tread alone,/ Will lead my steps aright. --Bryant, “To a Waterfowl”

Quotations ( continued ) “…[Envy] is ignorance…imitation is suicide.” Emerson, “Self-Reliance” “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer.” Thoreau, Walden “And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor/ Shall be lifted nevermore!” Poe, “The Raven”