Transcendentalism, Romanticism, and Regionalism

Differing Individuals... How does early 19th Century Romantic literature explore the connection between nature and one’s identity? How did American Romantics views about the INDIVIDUAL and SOCIETY as expressed in Romantic essays, poetry, and shorts stories define the “American” as an idea and the United States of America as a political and cultural entity? How did views of INDIVIDUALITY as expressed in Romantic literature in U.S. history inspire and shape artistic, cultural, and political movements?

Literary Terms Paradox – a statement that appears self-contradictory but that reveals a kind of truth. Irony – in general, a discrepancy between appearances and reality Juxtaposition – is placing two elements or words side by side and letting the reader or viewer compare them. This act compares and contrasts the two elements and can show irony, humor or sadness Ex. Light and Dark. Calm and Chaos.

Literary Terms Parallel Structure – the repetition of the same or similar words, phrases, clauses, or sentences. Onomatopoeia – the use of words whose sounds echo their meaning. Assonance – the repetition of similar vowel sounds. Alliteration – the repetition of similar consonant sounds. Imagery – the use of language to evoke visual pictures, as well as sensations of smell, hearing, taste and touch. Analogy–a comparison of two things to show their similarities Ex. Finding a good man is like finding a needle in a haystack.

Literary Terms Motif–is an object or idea that repeats itself throughout a literary work Antecedent– a literary device in which a word or pronoun in a line or sentence refers to an earlier word Ex. David plays football in the courtyard. All the children have gathered there. Inversion–a literary technique in which the normal order of words is reversed, in order to achieve a particular effect of emphasis or meter Ex.What a beautiful picture it is!

Transcendentalism Beliefs Everything in the world is a reflection of the Divine Soul/Oversoul (GOD) Nature is the doorway to the spiritual world Intuition can reveal God’s spirit in nature or in self Self reliance and Individualism must be more important than conforming Conformity: to go along with the accepted and established “rules” society, specifically social rules, attitudes, and practices Spontaneous feelings and intuition are superior to intellect and rationalism

Transcendentalism American Transcendentalists based their beliefs off of several other philosophies 18th century German philosophy Immanuel Kant—first coined the term “Transcendental” Philosophical work of Plato, who believed in human perfectibility Buddhist philosophy American Puritan Tradition Romantic ideals

Transcendentalism Key characteristics Intuition Optimism God is good and God works through nature Live a life of purpose for others

Transcendentalism Key Characteristics Nationalism Plain Living Non Conformity and Individualism Ideas and Dreams are important, more important than reason and logic

Ralph Waldo Emerson Background Born in Boston to a cultured but poor family Educated at Harvard Family expected Ralph to become a minister like seven generations of Emersons before him Worked as a minister, a public education reformer, and an abolitionist Found success as a lecturer—a new pulpit Created a grassroots movement among young, college educated Americans who were searching for a “higher truth”

Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862 Background Info Born in Concord, Mass. Longtime friend of family/mentor to Thoreau: EMERSON Graduated from Harvard in 1837 First introduction to English literature, Romanticism, and German Transcendental Philosophy Attempted career as a teacher from 1837-1843 Felt unfulfilled and directionless Began experiment at Walden Pond in 1845 Emerson’s land and idea Attempt to rediscover the heroism of simple life 2 ½ years lived alone off the land Published Walden in 1854—had no intention of writing a book. Wrote Walden to answer the numerous questions of others

Romanticism Romanticism symbolized America's break away from traditional European literature. It was a reaction to the emphasis on logical thought and reason of the Age of Rationalism. God was viewed as less strict than the Puritans view of God. Major publishers cropped up on the Atlantic coast, and books were printed here instead of in England.

Romanticism Romanticism dared to explore the supernatural. Romanticism was spontaneous. Writers and readers could explore individual feelings, wild nature and AVOID rational thought, logic, planning, and cultivation. Through their poetry, short stories, novels, and other works, writers during this period established a clear American voice.

Characteristics of American Romanticism Values feeling and intuition over reason Shuns the artificiality of civilization and seeks unspoiled nature Prefers youthful innocence to educated sophistication Champions individual freedom and the worth of the individual Places faith in inner experience and the power of the imagination Looks backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress Finds beauty and truth in exotic locals, the supernatural realm, and the inner world of the imagination Sees poetry as the highest expression of the imagination Finds inspiration in myth, legend, and folk culture 10. Contemplates nature’s beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development 14

The FIRST American Hero During the Romanticism period, authors are creating the first truly American hero. Who would we call an American hero in our culture today? Name and describe three. What characteristics do these heroes have in common?

Characteristics of the American Romantic Hero Has knowledge of people and of life based on deep, intuitive understanding, not on formal learning Loves nature and avoids town life Quests for some higher truth in the natural world Young or possesses youthful qualities Innocent and pure of purpose Has a sense of honor based not on society’s rules but on some higher idea 16

Regionalism Natural outgrowth of Realism Accurately represents the speech, manners, habits, history, folklore, and beliefs of a people in a specific geographic area Factors that contributed to Regionalism? Publishing boom of late 1880s, especially in magazines and subscription publishing Targeted rural, middle class Readers wanted characters who sounded and behaved liked them

Importance of Setting to Regionalism Key elements of Setting Geographical location and physical features The history of the time period in which the story is set The jobs and daily activities of the characters The culture of the characters, including Religious beliefs Moral beliefs Socio-economic conditions Dialect: distinctive forms of language spoken in particular areas