1. American Romanticism 1800-1860

2. Romanticism
A revolt against Rationalism that affected literature and the arts
Romanticism values feeling and intuition over reason
Quick Review: What are the characteristics of Rationalism?

3. Rationalism Review Reason Scientific thinking Logical thinking
Improve self and society
Justice

4. American Romanticism Values feelings and intuition
Places faith on inner experience and imagination
Shuns artificialness of civilization and seeks unspoiled nature
Values youthful innocence to educated sophistication
Values individual freedom and individual worth

5. American Romanticism (cont)
Nature’s beauty is a path to spiritual and moral development
Looks backward to wisdom of the past and distrusts progress
Finds beauty and truth in exotic locations, the supernatural world, and the inner world of the imagination.
Believes that poetry is the highest expression of imagination.
Finds inspiration in myth, legend and folklore.

6. 5 I’s of Romanticism 1. Intuition 2. Imagination 3. Innocence
4. Inspiration from nature
5. Inner experience

7. Characteristics of American Romantic Heroes
Young, or possess youthful qualities
Innocent and pure of purpose
Sense of honor based not on society’s rules, but on higher principle
Knowledge of people and of life based on deep, intuitive understanding—not on formal learning.
Loves nature and avoids town life
Quests for higher truth in the natural world.

8. Difference between Rationalist Hero and Romantic Hero
Worldly
Educated
Sophisticated
Wanted to be civilized
Knowledge of life based on formal learning
Think rationally/logic
Town life = progress
ROMANTIC HERO
Youthful
Innocent, intuitive
Close to nature – away from corrupt cities
Sense of honor based on higher principals – not just society
Knowledge of life based on deeper feeling – not formal learning
Quest for higher truth of natural world

9. Washington Irving 1783-1859 Grew up in a middle-class American family.
Irving found inspiration in the European Romantics, folklore, and legends.
Irving invented fictional narrators, not signing his name to his work until later in life.
Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent.
Diedrich Knickerbocker-created this author who mocked America’s past

10. Washington Irving (cont)
These narrators and their stories established Irving as a great satirist.
Satire: a type of writing that ridicules the shortcomings of people or institutions in an attempt to bring about change.
Usually, satire has a moral purpose.

11. “Rip Van Winkle” published 1819