1. Romanticism
English III

2. Romanticism ( )
A complete artistic, literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe.

3. Historical Context: an American Renaissance
Romanticism began in Europe in the late 18th century
This movement’s spread to America marked the first true flowering of American literature, bringing forth the first internationally- acclaimed American writers
Movement gained strength in reaction to the Industrial Revolution
Echoed people’s fears, hopes, and aspirations

4. What is Romanticism?
A movement in literature and art that contained new ideas about the relationship between individuals, society, and nature. Romanticism privileged
Imagination over reason
Intuition over fact
Inner experiences over outer experiences
The individual over the group
Romantics also focused heavily on nature, emphasizing and embracing its wild, chaotic nature.
They often idealized rural life and believed that many of the ills of society were a direct result of urbanization.

5. Romantics’ View of Nature
Romantics believed imagination and emotion were more important than reason and formal rules
Below is a romantic view of nature
Thomas Cole, A Wild Scene

6. Genre & Style
Romantic literature is generally fiction: short stories, novels, and poetry
Often concerned with social reform movements, such as abolitionism
Often raises difficult questions about society and what people should value in the world
Two important offshoots of Romanticism: Gothic literature and Transcendentalism

7. Characteristics of Gothic Literature
Interest in the supernatural and death
Dark and gloomy landscapes
Depressed or mentally unstable characters

8. Traits of Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism also stressed the importance of individualism and drew inspiration from nature
The key difference between Romanticism and Transcendentalism is its approach to religion
Transcendentalists believed that a personal relationship with God was possible through intuition and self-discovery
The ability to connect with God was inherent in all people;
This relationship was not solely facilitated through the Church and other external institutions

9. Major Writers Washington Irving “The Devil and Tom Walker”
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”
Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Self-Reliance”
“Nature”
Henry David Thoreau
Walden
“Civil Disobedience”
Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Scarlet Letter
Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment
Herman Melville
Moby Dick
Edgar Allan Poe
“The Raven”
“The Tell Tale Heart”
Emily Dickinson
Collected Poems

10. Emerson
Emerson appealed to both intellectuals and the general public – works were not only for entertainment but were also not only for the educated. He appealed to many readers.
He did much more than poetry. Essays, speeches, philosophy, etc.
Watch how Emerson uses figures of speech, imaginative comparisons of things that are basically unalike. (Emerson often compares abstract things or ideas to ordinary things)

11. What does it mean to be “Self- reliant”
What does it mean to be “Self- reliant”? Do you see yourself as self- reliant? Why or why not?
reliance on one's own powers and resources rather than those of others (AKA, DO THINGS FOR YOURSELF!)

12. Self-Reliance
Turn to page 185.
Read Emerson’s self-reliance. Take short notes on a separate sheet of paper as you read. Every 3-4 paragraphs you should be writing down what you have understood or are confused about with Emerson’s writing.
On page answer questions 1, 3, and 4 for self-reliance