1. Romanticism & Transcendentalism English 2 Period 6 Loyola High School

2. Romanticism — Definition Often called American Renaissance Artistic and intellectual movement (late 1700s- mid 1800s) 19 th century literature depicting emotional matter in an imaginative form Backlash to Age of Reason — based on emotions Stage of individualism marked by revolutionary political ideas Cultural & individual independence from Europe

3. Characteristics of Romanticism Belief in natural goodness of man Man in a state of nature behaves well but hindered by civilization Excitement over human possibilities and a high regard for individual ego Freedom from rules Individualism and spontaneity Imagination

4. Characteristics of Romanticism Art rather than science can best express universal truth Interest in the antique: medieval ballads and tales, mythology, gothic Art & literature held on a pedestal Returned to Nature — Deepened appreciation of nature Affirmation of democracy

5. Characteristics of Romanticism Exalted emotion over reason & intellect Heightened examination of human personality & its mental potentialities Pre-occupation with the genius, the hero, and the exceptional figure — passions and inner strengths Creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to rules & procedures Obsessive interest in folk culture, national & ethnic origins and medieval era

6. Characteristics of Romanticism Focus on the exotic, the remote, the mysterious, the weird, the occult, the monstrous and the satanic and diseased

7. Important Figures Walt Whitman Edgar Allan Poe Ralph Waldo Emerson William Cullen Bryant Washington Irving David Thoreau Herman Melville Nathaniel Hawthorne Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Emily Dickinson James Fenimore Cooper

8. Cause/Effect Enlightenment — rationalization/logic Western Expansion National optimism European immigrants Neo- classicism/Formalism  A lot of great literature  Established an American Identity & American “ genre ”  Spurred new artistic movements  Established anti- slavery sentiments in North

9. Literary Manifestations Leaves of Grass — Walt Whitman Moby Dick — Herman Melville Legend of Sleepy Hollow — W. Irving The Scarlet Letter — Hawthorne “ The Raven ”— Poe “ Tell-Tale Heart ”— Poe Walden — Thoreau Last of the Mohicans — Cooper

10. Transcendentalism Maintains that man has ideas that come not from the 5 senses or the powers of reasoning Instead, Truth comes from direct revelation from God, through inspiration or His imminent presence in the spiritual world. Stressed intuition & individual conscience