1. Romanticism

2. Time Line
1790 Publication of Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Women.
1828- Noah Webster publishes dictionary of American English
1830- Underground Railroad established
1857- US Supreme Court’s Dred Scott decision causes uproar over slavery.

3. What is Romanticism?
Occurred after the Enlightenment Period which emphasized reason and thought.
Was heavily influenced by the French Revolution.
During this time, writers were more influenced by emotion than reason and engaged the reader to connect with emotion and intuition.

4. Writers during this time called themselves Romantics or Transcendentalists.
“Romantics wanted to rise above ‘dull realities’ to a realm of higher truth.” EL 166
They used exotic settings to breakaway from the industrial backdrop of cities.
They reflected on the natural world so that beauty and truth could reveal themselves.
Check out the list of characteristics on page167!

5. Writing during Romantic Period
Poets kept with European tradition while novelists and short story writers developed their own styles.
Romanticism can be characterized as two different types: light and dark.
Each type represents a change in political mood, history, and society’s values and expectations.

6. James Fenimore Cooper Created a new kind of hero, Natty Bumppo.
This character embodied society’s ideas: resourcefulness, innocent, loved nature, virtuous
Europeans thought Americans were uncivilized. Romantic writers showed through their heroes how truth could be discovered and what innocence was.
Romantic heroes can still be found today in our movies and comic books

7. Poets of Romanticism
Used English style of writing (themes, subjects, imagery, meter), instead of creating a new American type.
Sought to prove American intellect.
Fireside Poets- Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Lowell; could read poems by fire for family entertainment; their poems were memorized by school children!
They were limited by their style and thus faded away

8. Transcendentalists
Transcendental- 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.
They were idealists; writers included Ralph Waldo Emerson and Emily Dickinson
Check out the chart on page 171!

9. “Every natural fact,” Emerson wrote, “is a symbol of some spiritual fact.”
Emerson was optimistic because of intuition, not logic.
According to him, God was in nature and is good.
Emerson’s positive outlook made him popular by those afflicted with poverty and dislike over slavery.

10. Types of Romanticism Light Romanticism- has a positive tone.
Spiritualism
One with society and nature.
Part/particle of God
Used Puritan idea of God in Nature
Dark Romanticism- has a dismal tone.
Veiled/masked “dark” truth- leads to isolation
Imp of the Wicked
Focused on Original Sin and Predestination like Puritans
Often Supernatual

11. Famous Texts The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” by Washington Irving
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Moby Dick by Herman Melville

12. Resources http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romanticism
The Norton Anthology of American Literature 6th ed.
Dr. Charles Bradshaw- English 261 Fall ’03