1. Do Now:
What are the first things that come to mind when you think of the word “romantic?”

2. American Romanticism 1800-1855
Historical Context
Still before the Civil War
Start of the Westward Expansion
Louisiana Purchase, the US-Mexico War
“Manifest Destiny”
Start of the Industrial Revolution
The Industrial Revolution started during this time period in England and it was slowly trickling over to the States

3. American Romanticism 1800 - 1855
Cultural Context
Call for Social Reform
Human Rights movements
Abolitionists & Women’s Rights
Nationalism vs. Sectionalism
Nationalism – the belief that national interests should be placed ahead of regional concerns or the interests of other countries
America First!
“We can’t spend money on repairing the plumbing in Flint, that’s a regional issue. We can only worry about issues that effect the entire country!”

4. Romanticism
An artistic movement embraced by poets, writers, artists and musicians who were all pushing against the neoclassical movement and urbanization.
Neoclassism favored classical Greek and Roman art and architecture and reason
Romanticism favored nature, emotions and the imagination

5. American Romanticism Groups or Periods
The Early Romantics
Were inspired by the beauty of nature
Emphasized emotions and imagination over reason
Celebrated the individual spirit
The Fireside Poets
Longfellow, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Whittier
Emphasized moral themes in their work
Stressed individualism and an appreciation of nature
Were committed to social reform

6. American Romanticism Groups or Periods
Transcendentalists
Henry David Thoreau & Ralph Waldo Emerson
Emphasized living a simple life
Stressed a closer relationship to nature
Celebrated emotions and the imagination
Stressed individualism and self-reliance
Believed that intuition can lead to knowledge
Believed in the inherent goodness of people
Encouraged spiritual well-being over financial well-being

7. American Romanticism Groups or Periods
The “Brooding” Romantics or Gothic Movement
Edgar Allan Poe, Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne
Did not believe in the innate goodness of people
Explored the human capacity for evil
Probed the inner life of characters
Explored character motivations
Agreed with emphasis on emotion, nature and individualism
Included elements of fantasy and the supernatural

8. The Six Romantic Ideals
Belief in the individual or common man
Reverence for Nature
Nostalgia – longing for the past
Interest in the supernatural, bizarre, or gothic
The power of imagination and emotions
The idea of the SUBLIME
An optimistic world view

9. Artistic Criticism
Today we are going to learn how to critique art.
We know that poetry is art.
Discussing art and poetry in an academic fashion is a skill.
It is not enough to say whether or not you like something, you need to be able to justify your opinions without resorting to only your feelings.
Artistic criticism requires critical thinking and observation, which is also a skill that we can develop.

10. There will be clips from 10 different styles of music.
Number a piece of lined notebook paper from 1-10.
Rank the music clips:
1 - I hate this, please turn it off now
2 – I dislike this, but I don’t hate it
3 – neutral, “meh, I have no opinion on this”
4- I kinda like this
5 – This is the best song ever!

11. What was it about these songs that you either loved or hated?
TLC – No Scrubs
Frank Yankovic – Beer Barrel Polka
Darude – Sandstorm
Mussogorsky – Night on Bald Mountain
Sienna Sky – Heartquake!
Mormon Tabernacle Choir – Come, Thou Font of Every Blessing
Brad Paisley – Mud on the Tires
Eminem – The Real Slim Shady
Ella Fitzgerald/Louis Armstrong – Dream A Little Dream
Cast of Les Miserables – Do You Hear the People Sing?

12. How do you express the “WHY?”
Being able to clearly explain why you love or hate something is just as important as having an opinion in the first place.
How do you express the “WHY?”
You need to know some of the terminology –
Feelings it creates in you and others
You need to be able to articulate your feelings
Media vocabulary
Music: rhythm, lyrics, beats, tempo, chorus, hook
Art: shape, line, subject matter, color, mood, style
Poetry: rhyme scheme, metaphor/similes, figurative language, subject matter, mood, speaker, theme

13. There are strengths and weaknesses to all pieces of art – including music, paintings, and poetry.
On the same sheet of paper that you used to rank the music clips:
Write down your opinions of the paintings found around the library.
Write down WHY your opinion is your opinion and use clear terminology to back up your opinion.
You will then discuss your thoughts, opinions and reasons with a partner.

17. Lenses – Multiple Perspectives
Artistic Criticism requires you to view the art, music, or poetry through multiple lenses.
This means you need to consider more than your personal feelings.
You need to consider historical context, societal pressures, the artist, political environments, etc.
Each lens or perspective will add to your understanding and critique of the art
You may see things you had not noticed prior

23. Longfellow’s Poetry pg.
Take another look at Lomgfellow’s poetry
Look at it and consider its strengths and weaknesses through the following “lenses”
Personal Lens – Your personal feelings towards the poem
Romantic Lens – How do these poems fit into Romanticism?
Historical Lens – Why are these poems important? What would people living in the 1800’s have thought about them?
Literature Lens – Why are these poems considered part of good literature? Should they be?
WRITE DOWN YOUR THOUGHTS ON THESE TWO POEMS AND WE WILL DISCUSS THEM AS A CLASS.