American Romanticism 1820-1860

Historical Background: The American Renaissance Underpinning the American cultural renaissance was sheer physical and technological growth. In 1803, Thomas Jefferson doubled the nation’s size by signing the Louisiana Purchase and people began moving further and further west. With the expansion came an expansion in spirit, an upsurge of national pride and self-awareness. The renaissance, a flowering of American art and learning, took place in the first half of the 19th century. During these years, the nation came of age and entered its literary and cultural maturity.

Historical Background continued Major advances in technology spurred social and cultural change. Factories sprang up all over the Northeast, creating new industries, new kinds of jobs, and plenty of economic profit. The steel plow and the reaper encouraged more aggressive frontier settlement by making farming practical on the vast, sod-covered grasslands. The telegraph made almost instant communication possible across America’s great distances.

Democracy and the winds of change The 1828 election of Andrew Jackson ushered in the era of the common man, as property requirements for voting began to be eliminated. Only white males benefited from these changes as little attention was paid to women and most African Americans remained enslaved. The War of 1812 and the conflict over the war with Mexico over Texas put the United States on the world stage. By mid century, the U.S. faced trouble as well as promise as by 1861 the Civil War looked to permanently divide our new nation.

Essential questions: How does Literature shape or reflect society? American writers of this period presented what they thought about the issues of the day- women’s rights, slavery, immigration, trade and taxes.

Essential Questions: What makes American literature American? Gradually, the American way of speaking took on many unique features: dialects, local grammar, and new words/phrases coined by Americans. American English became more colloquial (or informal) than British English. We used contractions (can’t, don’t, couldn’t) and distinctly American phrases (set a spell, take a fork in the road, you’re barking up the wrong tree). As a result, a distinctly American “style” of writing was being developed by American writers.

Romantic (in terms of writing) does NOT mean LOVE! Romantic, in this sense, means the style of writing and a state of mind.

The Literature of any age always reflects the concerns of the people The Romantic writers react to the Colonists need for logic and reasoning. These writers were itching for something different and more entertaining because they were tiring of politics and the business of starting a new nation They wanted to entertain and make an American mark on the literary world!

Imagination instead of Reason Colonists’ concerns Romantics’ concerns Politics Freedom Logic Reason No time for entertainment Imagination Intuition (following your heart rather than your head) Spontaneity (acting on impulse) Nature (a love/reverence for it) Common people as main characters (not important people) Individual, human experiences (Stories focus on the life experiences of individuals rather than large groups) The strange and fantastic (things that couldn’t happen in real life) Excess (having more than you need) Imagination instead of Reason

Characteristics of Romanticism- The Basics Interest in the common man and childhood Strong senses, emotions, and feelings Awe of nature Celebration of the individual Importance of imagination

Interest in the common man and child Romantics believed in the natural goodness of humans that is hindered by the urban life of civilization. They believed the savage is noble, childhood is good, and the emotions inspired by both beliefs cause the heart to soar.

Strong senses, emotions, and feelings Romantics believed that knowledge is gained through intuition rather than deduction. This is best summed up by Wordsworth who stated that “all good poetry is the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.”

Awe of nature Romantics stressed the awe of nature in art and language and the experience of sublimity through a connection with nature. Romantics rejected the rationalization of nature by the previous thinkers of the Enlightenment period.

Celebration of the individual Romantics often elevated the achievements of the misunderstood, heroic, individual outcast.

Importance of imagination Romantics legitimized the individual imagination as a critical authority.