1. Literary Movement: Romanticism 1800-1860

2. How Romantic are you? True or false? 1.When making big decisions, I believe it’s best to go with your gut. 2.I love it when I’m free to use my imagination and express creativity. 3.I believe that children are actually wiser than adults. 4.Nature is a place of inspiration for me. 5.I like to spend a lot of time alone.

3. Introduction Partly as a reaction against rationalism, Romanticism had its beginnings in Germany, then spread throughout Europe and to the United States. “Romanticism is the name given to schools of thought that value feeling and intuition over reason.” --Elements of Literature p. 215

4. Historical Context 1803 Louisiana Purchase 1812-15 War of 1812, “Star-Spangled Banner” written 1820-21 Missouri Compromise 1830 Underground Railroad is organized 1838 Trail of Tears 1846 Potato famine in Ireland 1846-48 U.S. annexes Texas; war with Mexico 1848 First women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls 1849 California gold rush

5. Worldview 5 Is of Romanticism –Intuition- Inspiration from nature –Imagination- Individualism –Innocence Other characteristics: –Favored remote/exotic settings (the past, the countryside) –City perceived as a place of corruption –Emphasis on the natural and the supernatural worlds –Divinity found in nature “Life through rose-colored glasses”

6. Common Elements of the Literature Poetry was valued as the greatest embodiment of the imagination. –Fireside Poets used traditional forms but introduced uniquely American subject matter. –Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson later departed from traditional forms of poetry. American authors began developing novels. –American novelists sought to produce literature that was uniquely American. –The frontier gave America subject matter that set it apart from Europe. –A new stereotype developed: the American Romantic hero. (Ex. Natty Bumppo, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones, etc.)

7. Famous Authors Fireside Poets: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, John Greenleaf Whittier, Oliver Wendell Holmes, James Russell Lowell William Cullen Bryant—“Thanatopsis” James Fenimore Cooper—Leatherstocking tales Washington Irving—“Rip Van Winkle,” “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Transcendentalists: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau Dark Romantics: Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe

8. Painting: Kindred Spirits by Asher Brown Duran Features William Cullen Bryant and Thomas Cole

9. Tenets of Transcendentalism –Everything is a reflection of the Divine Soul. –Nature is a doorway to the spiritual world. –Man should be true to himself rather than blindly submitting to external authority. –Human nature is essentially good (optimistic view).

10. Ralph Waldo Emerson Born in 1803 in Boston Went to Harvard at the age of 14 and graduated in 1821 Became a minister, like the eight generations of Emersons before him Questioned the doctrines of his religion and left the ministry to pursue a career in writing and public speaking

11. Ralph Waldo Emerson Considered the leader of the Transcendentalist movement Emphasized trust in oneself and the experience of reality through intuition Became a popular writer and lecturer, as his ideas were well received by intellectuals and the general public

13. Dark Romanticism Background Authors: Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Herman Melville These authors transformed the European Gothic novel Development of the short story as a trend in American fiction

14. Dark Romanticism Background Characteristics of Gothic Fiction –Use of haunting, eerie settings and strange, chilling events –Romantic interest in intuition, imagination, and hidden truths –Reaction against the optimism of the Transcendentalists –Exploration of evil and the irrational depths of the human mind

15. “The Fall of the House of Usher” About the Author: Edgar Allan Poe –Abandoned by father; mother died when he was 2 years old –Taken in by John and Frances Allan –John Allan was disappointed in Poe—his literary ambition and rejection of business life –Left for college, got into debt, quarreled with John Allan –Pursued literary career without much success –Entered West Point Academy but had himself dismissed to devote his career to writing –Moved in with his aunt, Maria Poe Clemm

16. Yes, he married his cousin Virginia. She was 13. Virginia died of tuberculosis. Mysterious death— found on the brink of death in Baltimore tavern

17. “The Raven” Summary The speaker is reading in his chamber when he hears a tapping. He opens his chamber door and sees no one. He opens the window, and a raven flies in and perches on a bust of Pallas Athena. He asks the raven its name. The response in “Nevermore.” The speaker, fascinated, wheels his chair in front of the raven.

18. “The Raven” Summary (continued) He asks questions about his sorrow and his beloved, eventually asking if he will see his love Lenore again. The response is always “Nevermore.” The speaker orders the raven to leave, but the raven remains perched above the chamber door.