The Dark Romantics The “Anti-Transcendentalists” However, still had much in common with the Transcendentalists Value of intuition over logic and reason Nature is not necessarily good Emphasis on Original Sin Combination of mystical and the melancholy of Puritan thought Good vs. evil Psychological effects of guilt and sin Madness and the human psyche

Nathaniel Hawthorne “Prisoner of the Dismal Chamber” Wrote about dark insights into the human heart First major piece: The Scarlet Letter Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment: Hawthorne’s obsession with the source of youth

Allegory A story or poem in which characters, settings, and events stand for abstract ideas or moral qualities Examples Grim Reaper Animal Farm

What Character Represents Character Chart Characters Key Descriptions Actions and Words What Character Represents Mr. Medbourne Colonel Killigrew Mr. Gascoigne Widow Wycherly