Romanticism The Counter-Enlightenment Comes to America

Romanticism in Art Look at the artwork featured on the following slides. What changes do you notice in: A) what is depicted (content) and B) how it is depicted (form)? What do you guess is their significance?

Puritan Art

Enlightenment Art

More Enlightenment Art

Enlightenment Art

Suddenly, everything changes…

Enlightenment: Man-centered; but men are just men Emphasis on reason and logic Intellect is most important Counter- Enlightenment: Man-centered; but men often play God and are thereby thrown abjectly low or transcendently high Emphasis on feeling Imagination is most important

I. Historical Background A. Early 19 th Century is a time of peace and prosperity 1. War of 1812 gives America: --status as a nation -power to extend westward without British or Native American influence -freedom from trade impositions 2. Industrial Revolution gives America: -new tools and technologies -profits

I. Historical Background (cont.) B. Americans seek new diversions 1. New styles of art and literature begin to appear. 2. Americans view their new, largely unexplored continent with a sense of awe and desire

II. Principles A. Age of Reason failed to fully explain man 1. Humanity is not a machine 2. Machines are calculable, measurable, and predictable. Machines are not full of passions, desires, and fears. Man is. “O for a life of sensations rather than of thoughts!” Immanuel Kant

II. Principles (cont.) B. Age of Reason failed to fully explain God 1. Romantics believe they can feel God’s presence without proving it. 2. Romantics see God in nature and believe human imagination helps discover him He is the true enchanter, whose spell operates, not upon the senses, but upon the imagination and the heart. Washington Irving

II. Principles (cont.) C. Mankind possesses a dark and a bright side, a despairing and a hopeful attitude. Often, trying to be his best, man appears at his worst. Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. Poe

III. Romantic Literature A. Era marks the true birth of American fiction! B. Literature often focuses on the unknown 1. Adventure 2. Mystery and Detective 3. Fantasy and Science-Fiction 4. Horror C. Predominate themes relate to life and death, peace and war, good and evil, and the inexplicable elements of nature and faith.

In Conclusion: Puritans : Man is inherently corrupt. He seeks faith. His purpose is to give glory to his Creator through commitment, sacrifice, and hard work. Age of Reason: Man is inherently imperfect, but he can always improve. He seeks knowledge. His purpose is to explore and understand the created world using his rational mind. Romantics: Man possesses both a good and an evil side. Oftentimes, trying to be terrific, he cannot help but be terrible. He seeks intuition. His purpose is to explore and appreciate the created world using his imagination.

IV. Edgar Allan Poe ( )

Poe’s Literary Vision 1. The epitome of the Romantic era, Poe’s stories emphasize mystery, horror, and imagination. 2. He believed every word in a tale should be aimed at creating a single, vivid emotion.

Poe’s Biography 1. Father abandons family, mother dies of tuberculosis 2. Adopted by Allan family; stepfather disowns him, stepmother dies of tuberculosis 3. Expelled from University of Virginia and Westpoint Military Academy

Tuberculosis melts your lungs and crushes your body.

Poe and Baltimore a. First earns money as writer in the city with his “MS in a Bottle,” published in the Baltimore Saturday Visiter

Poe and Baltimore (cont.) B. Fell in love with Virginia Clemm C. She was thirteen AND his first cousin

Poe and Baltimore (cont.) D. One day, she was playing the piano and singing and started coughing up blood. E. Turns out, she had contracted tuberculosis. She died a slow, painful death. Virginia’s only words that we have today – a song she wrote to Poe

Poe’s Death a. 1849: Poe was found on the streets of Baltimore, delirious b. Kept yelling only one word: “Reynolds!” until finally saying, “Lord help my poor soul!” and dying. c. May have died of alcohol poisoning; may have died of delirium tremens, heart disease, epilepsy, syphilis, meningeal inflammation, cholera, or rabies. One theory suggests that cooping caused Poe’s death– a process in which unwilling citizens who were compelled to vote for certain candidates, and sometimes died from the attendant abuse. c. There are no records of his hospital visit or death.

His grave is in Baltimore, five blocks from the Ravens’ stadium.

Poe Toaster Every year from , someone left roses and cognac on Poe’s grave on the anniversary of his death, January 19 th. Mysteriously stopped.

“The Raven” A. Ultimate example of dark Romantic literature, the man’s imagination is consumed with fear and anxiety. B. Unnamed protagonist experiences the arrival of an inexplicable Raven in the middle of the night that responds to his questions only with an incantatory “nevermore.” C. The bird represents the longing, pain, and sorrow of a personal loss that can “nevermore” be forgotten. More curiously, it may represent what the narrator, against his better judgment, does not want to forget.

“Black Cat” A. The story is a reflection, at least in part, on the dangers of alcoholism as a cure-all. B. Unnamed protagonist experiences the arrival of two cats: first one, then another, both of which are enigmatic and unrelenting. C.The black cat is symbolic of “perverseness.” This term describes man’s susceptibility to irrational forces that compel him to do unreasonable things.