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American Romanticism 1820-1860.

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Presentation on theme: "American Romanticism 1820-1860."— Presentation transcript:

1 American Romanticism

2 Would you call yourself a Romantic or a Realist?
Before we start… Would you call yourself a Romantic or a Realist?

3 What do you think when you hear the word “Romantic”?

4 This is not a Romantic novel

5 American Romanticism American Romanticism was the first full- fledged literary movement that developed in the U.S. It was made up of a group of authors who wrote and published between about 1820 and 1860, when the U.S. was still finding its feet as a new nation.

6 American Romanticism A direct reaction against The Age of Reason, literary works from the Revolutionary Period in America Due to the fact that the country was now established, writers moved their focus away from political matters and revolutionary governmental ideas, and began to focus on other aspects of life (emotions, possibilities, imagination etc…)

7 Characteristics of American Romanticism
Values feeling and intuition over reason Places faith in inner experience and the power of the imagination Shuns the artificiality of civilization and seeks unspoiled nature Prefers youthful innocence to educated sophistication Champions individual freedom and the worth of the individual Contemplates nature’s beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development

8 Characteristics of American Romanticism
Looks backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress Finds beauty and truth in exotic locals, the supernatural realm, and the inner world of the imagination Typical types of American Romanticism are Poetry Novels Short Stories Essays

9 Characteristics of American Romanticism
Imagination was emphasized over “reason.” This was a backlash against the rationalism characterized by the classical period or “Age of Reason.” Romantics placed value on “intuition,” or feeling and instincts, over reason. Romantics celebrated the individual. During this time period, Women’s Rights and Abolitionism were taking root as major movements. Walt Whitman, a later Romantic writer, would write a poem entitled “Song of Myself”: it begins, “I celebrate myself…”

10 Romantic Subject Matter
The quest for beauty and does not tell people how to live their lives Escapism - from American problems. The use of the far-away and non-normal Interest in external nature - for itself, for beauty: Nature as source for the knowledge of the primitive. Nature as refuge. Nature as revelation of God to the individual.

11 Emerson’s “Success” What is Success? To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; This is to have succeeded. Ralph Waldo Emerson

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13 American Romanticism: Big Picture
Romantic VIEW OF MAN: Focus on the individual and his inner world (imagination and emotions). Romantic VIEW OF NATURE: Nature is beautiful, mysterious, and symbolic. God can be seen in nature. Romantic GUIDE TO TRUTH: Intuition (inner voice or gut feeling) and imagination guides each individual to understanding.

14 Transcendentalism Transcend (v): to go beyond a limit or range, for example, of thought or belief So, TRANSCENDENTALISM, at its core is about “moving beyond” common experience and understanding. The idea that in determining the ultimate reality of God, the universe, the self, and other important matters, one must transcend, or go beyond, everyday human experience in the physical world. Intuition and optimism

15 Transcendentalism There is a direct connection between the universe and the individual soul By thinking about objects in nature, people can transcend the world and discover a union with the Over-Soul Follow your intuition and beliefs no matter how much they differ from the social norms All people are inherently good

16 Transcendentalists Henry David Thoreau (his pupil, the son of pencil maker left society to live a solitary and transcendent life in the woods) Ralph Waldo Emerson (former Unitarian minister from Massachusetts who became the most well known Transcendentalist.)

17 Dark Romanticism or American Gothic
Edgar Allen Poe with Hawthorne and Melville known as anti-Transcendentalists or Dark Romantics Had much in common with Transcendentalists Explored conflicts between good and evil, psychological effects of guilt and sin, and madness Looked at the darker side of human nature and the individual

18 Lose all of your money and valuables
Would you rather? Lose all of your money and valuables Lose every picture you’ve ever taken

19 See 10 minutes into the future of anyone but yourself
Would you rather? See 10 minutes into the future of anyone but yourself See 10 minutes into your future

20 Be guilty and walk free- but live in constant fear of being caught
Would you rather? Be guilty and walk free- but live in constant fear of being caught Go to jail for 5 years for something you didn’t do

21 Be accidentally responsible for the death of 5 adults
Would you rather? Be accidentally responsible for the death of 5 adults Be accidentally responsible for the death of a child

22 Clothes always be two sizes too small
Would you rather? Clothes always be two sizes too small Clothes always be two sizes too big

23 Live in the wilderness far from civilization Be homeless in a big city
Would you rather? Live in the wilderness far from civilization Be homeless in a big city

24 Be married to someone who you do not love back
Would you rather? Be married to someone who you do not love back Be married to someone who does not love you back

25 Be the first person to explore a new planet
Would you rather? Be the first person to explore a new planet Find a miracle drug that cures diseases

26 Be locked in a room that is constantly dark for 1 week
Would you rather? Be locked in a room that is constantly dark for 1 week Be locked in a room that is constantly bright for 1 week

27 Find a suitcase with 10 billion dollars in it
Would you rather? Find your true love Find a suitcase with 10 billion dollars in it

28 Fight off 100 cockroach sized bears Fight off 1 bear sized cockroach
Would you rather? Fight off 100 cockroach sized bears Fight off 1 bear sized cockroach

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