1. American Romanticism and Transcendentalism
This Individual VS Society

2. Context
American Romanticism is rooted in Europe and is the antithetical response to the Age of Enlightenment with its emphasis on science and reason. Romantics sought truth through intuition, nature, and self- reflection.

4. Characteristics of American Romanticism
Offer a high level of moral enthusiasm and expression
Emphasize the importance of the individual over the collective/ society
View society and its institutions as being inherently corrupt and out of synch with man’s natural state
Value intuitive perception over reason
Emphasize imagination and the unfolding of the self
Value the supernatural and the exotic
See the artist as supreme (especially the poet)
More often take on a Gothic character
Mythologize the frontier and the American Indian
Gives rise to Transcendentalism

5. “Romanticism is precisely situated neither in choice of subject nor exact truth, but in the way of feeling.” Charles Baudeliare

6. Characteristics of the Romantic Hero
Rejects established norms and conventions of behavior
Often shunned by society
Often introspective, emphasizing the self
Wanderlust, a desire to travel, to see the world
Often express regret for wrong actions, self-criticism leading to philanthropy
Birth and class are unimportant
Eccentric moral codes

8. That delicate forest flower, With scented breath and look so like a smile, Seems, as it issues from the shapeless mould, An emanation of the indwelling Life, A visible token of the upholding Love, That are the soul of this great universe. -William Cullen Bryant

9. Significant Works of American Romanticism
Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Scarlet Letter
Edgar Allan Poe – “The Raven”, “Fall of the House of Usher”
Washington Irving – “Legend of Sleepy Hollow”, “Rip Van Winkle
Walt Whitman – “Leaves of Grass”
Herman Melville – Moby Dick
James Fennimore Cooper – Last of the Mohicans
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow – “Paul Revere’s Ride”
Harriet Beecher Stowe – Uncle Tom’s Cabin

10. “Nature is a revelation of God; art is a revelation of man
“Nature is a revelation of God; art is a revelation of man.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

11. The Romantic Dichotomy
Emerging from the Romantic movement are two distinct branches of thought:
Transcendentalism
Dark Romanticism

12. Transcendentalism
Though opposed to the ideas of predetermination, Romanticism primarily comes about as a response to the dominant forces of the Enlightenment era – rationalism and scientific advancement; Transcendentalism, however, emerges most directly as a rebellion against Calvinism and the rigid dogma of the Church.
Philosophically, the central ideas of Transcendentalism had been around since German philosopher, Emmanuel Kant, first coined the term in the 18th century.
In America, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803 – 1882) is considered the strongest voice of the Transcendental movement.
Emerson borrows much from the philosophy of Kant as well as from Eastern spiritual traditions and filters them through his unique perspective and experiences; he was the son of a Unitarian minister, graduated Harvard at 18, publishes his first Transcendentalist work, “Nature” in 1836.

13. Transcendentalism Vs. Romanticism
Both:
Movements born as a reaction to strict traditions, laws, and religious dogma
Reject Calvinism and the doctrine of predetermination
Emphasize the importance of the individual
Look to Nature as a source of inspiration and spirituality
See society as inherently corrupt
Transcendentalists:
Stress the spiritual
Espouse the belief that all aspects of nature, including man, are expressions of God; all things are divine; all individuals have an inner-goodness; one’s intuition is an expression of the inner light of God
Romantics:
Like transcendentalists, Romantics see nature as divine; however they assert that man is not inherently divine, but is capable of divinity the closer he/she gets to nature and the further removed from society; his/her moral life must be directed toward the divine

14. Ralph Waldo Emerson “Whoso would be a man must be a non-conformist.”
-From “Self-Reliance”
“Build therefore your own world.”
-From “Nature”

15. Dark Romanticism
Characterized by writers such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, and Edgar Allan Poe
Notably less optimistic than Transcendentalists regarding mankind, nature, and divinity
Dark Romantics present individuals prone to self-destruction and sin; they are not inherently in possession of divinity or wisdom
Adapted images of anthropomorphized evil (Satan, devils, ghosts, vampires, ghouls, witches, and other supernatural forces) as emblematic of certain aspects of human nature
Tends to portray characters who fail to make a positive and proactive change in their tragic trajectory

16. Nathaniel Hawthorne 1804-1864 Born in Salem, Massachusetts
Related to John Hathorne, the only
judge involved in the Salem Witch Trials
Along with Poe and Melville, considered
a “Dark Romantic”
Dark Romantics see man as prone to sin
and self-destruction and not inherently
divine
Important Novels:
The Scarlet Letter (1850)
The House of the Seven Gables (1851)
Important short-stories:
“Young Goodman Brown”
“The Minister’s Black Veil”
“The Ambitious Guest”

17. Cite two examples of a modern-day
Romantic hero and explain how
they meet the necessary criteria.