American Romanticism

American romanticism, shares many characteristics with British romanticism American romanticism developed its own character The American writers tried to be new and original to reflect their new country

Culturally there was more time for literature and art –Practical matters such as the essential of making a living establishing political independence had been squared. –There were American publishers and even more important, copyright laws protected writers from having their works printed, without their permission or pay, in England. –There were readers, often women eager to expand their minds. –It was actually possible to make a kind of living as a writer, although it was difficult and limited –There was also a strong national pride, self-conscious and anti-British.

The 18th century left a heritage of optimism about man's possibilities and perfectibility. The lofty ideals of democracy asserted the value of individuals, regardless of class, and education. Of course, these values primarily applied to white males.

Economically America had never been wealthier –there was enough affluence for people to develop and appreciate writing and reading

Religion was also ready for romanticism –The stern dogmas had been replaced by rationalistic principles However, they were so rational and so determined to avoid the emotional excesses –they seemed dry and cold, unable to satisfy deep spiritual yearnings. –People, especially Emerson, were looking for new spiritual roots, personally involving and meaningful, but not traditional.

Connected to this was the rise and professionalization of science, which seemed to many to conflict with religion. Many felt a psychic dislocation, that the bottom had dropped out of their world since traditional values and conventional reality were just not enough for them. Some found Truth more a matter of intuition and imagination than logic and reason. They rejected the mechanistic view of the universe so dear to Franklin and opted for a more organic view, seeing the world more as dynamic and living.

The romantics were also in a state of revolt, primarily against the restraints of classicism and formalism. Form, particularly traditional literary forms, mattered much less than inspiration, enthusiasm, and emotion. Good literature should have heart, not rules

They were particularly aware of nature, especially its wild aspects, and were beginning to comprehend that it was being lost as fast as they were appreciating it. The physical frontiers were being conquered in this time of "manifest destiny" and there was little wilderness to explore (and exploit). They turned to artistic, metaphysical, and intellectual frontiers to recapture the ecstasy of exploration and discovery

Romantic ideas centered around art as inspiration Art, rather than science, Romantics argued, could best express universal truth. The Romantics underscored the importance of expressive art for the individual and society.

self and nature were one self-awareness was not a selfish dead end but a mode of knowledge opening up the universe the individual had a moral duty to reform social inequalities and relieve human suffering. The idea of "self" -- which suggested selfishness to earlier generations -- was redefined. New compound words with positive meanings emerged: "self-realization," "self-expression," "self-reliance."

As the unique, subjective self became important, so did the realm of psychology. Exceptional artistic effects and techniques were developed to evoke heightened psychological states. The "sublime" -- an effect of beauty in grandeur (for example, a view from a mountaintop) -- produced feelings of awe, reverence, vastness, and a power beyond human comprehension.

Romanticism was affirmative and appropriate for most American poets and creative essayists. America's vast mountains, deserts, and tropics embodied the sublime. The Romantic spirit seemed particularly suited to American democracy: It stressed individualism, affirmed the value of the common person, and looked to the inspired imagination for its aesthetic and ethical values.

Transcendentalist The Transcendentalist movement was a reaction against 18th century rationalism The movement was based on a fundamental belief in the unity of the world and God. The soul of each individual was thought to be identical with the world -- a microcosm of the world itself. The doctrine of self-reliance and individualism developed through the belief in the identification of the individual soul with God.

Transcendentalists insisted on individual differences - on the unique viewpoint of the individual. American Transcendental Romantics pushed radical individualism to the extreme. American writers often saw themselves as lonely explorers outside society and convention. For the Romantic American writer, nothing was a given. Literary and social conventions, far from being helpful, were dangerous. There was tremendous pressure to discover an authentic literary form, content, and voice -- all at the same time. It is clear from the many masterpieces produced in the three decades before the U.S. Civil War ( ) that American writers rose to the challenge.

The New American Hero The American hero -- like Herman Melville's Captain Ahab, or Mark Twain's Huck Finn, or Edgar Allan Poe's Arthur Gordon Pym -- typically faced risk, or even certain destruction, in the pursuit of metaphysical self-discovery Youthful, innocent, intuitive Close to nature Europeans saw the American hero as unsophisticated and uncivilized

Major Romanticism Authors Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Walt Whitman Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Oliver Wendell Holmes John Greenleaf Whittier Margaret Fuller Emily Dickinson

Romanticism Authors Washington Irving Nathaniel Hawthorne Edgar Allen Poe Herman Melville –Poe, Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman. Indeed, for years any other works lived in their imposing shadows. Yet this was a fairly tight group. Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, and Melville all knew each other well.

Review Belief in natural goodness of man, that man in a state of nature would behave well but is hindered by civilization. The figure of the "Noble Savage" is an outgrowth of this idea. Sincerity, spontaneity, and faith in emotion as markers of truth. (Doctrine of sensibility) Belief that what is special in a man is to be valued over what is representative; delight in self-analysis. Nature as a source of instruction, delight, and nourishment for the soul; return to nature as a source of inspiration and wisdom; celebration of man’s connection with nature; life in nature often contrasted with the unnatural constraints of society. Affirmation of the values of democracy and the freedom of the individual.

Review High value placed on finding connection with fresh, spontaneous in nature and self. Aspiration after the sublime and the wonderful, that which transcends mundane limits. In art, the sublime, the grotesque, the picturesque, and the beautiful with a touch of strangeness all were valued above the Neoclassical principles of order, proportion, and decorum. (Hudson River School of painters) Interest in the “antique”: medieval tales and forms, ballads, Norse and Celtic mythology; the Gothic. Belief in perfectibility of man Spiritual force immanent not only in nature but in mind of man.