1. The American Renaissance and Romanticism

2. Genre/Style Character sketch Slave narratives Political Novels Poetry
Transcendentalism

3. Effect Places faith in inner experience and the power of imagination
Shuns the artificiality of civilization and seeks unspoiled nature
Fuels the abolitionist movement
Allows people to re-imagine the American past

4. Historical Context Expansion of: Magazines Newspapers Book publishing
Slavery debates

5. Core Beliefs Sense of idealism Focus on individual’s inner feelings
Finds inspiration in myth, legend, and folk culture
Contemplates nature’s beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development
Values poetry as the highest expression of the imagination
Looks backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress
Finds beauty in exotic locals, the supernatural realm, and the inner world of the imagination