1. Dark Romantic Literature 1840-1860 The grotesque, gloomy, morbid and fantastic

2. The Writers  Herman Melville  Nathaniel Hawthorne  Edgar Allan Poe  Interested in human psychology and the deep, dark workings of the subconscious mind.  Dark Romantics acknowledged the evil in men and the horror of evil.  Rooted in French, German, and English Gothic lit.

3. Literature elements  Settings: wild, haunted landscapes.  Supernatural events and mysterious Gothic/medieval castles.  Relied heavily upon symbolism; terror is often given a concrete form in a symbol

4. The Characters  Haunted, alienated, isolated, and obsessed characters  Protagonists pitted against unknowable dark fates that in some mysterious way grow out of their deepest unconscious selves Alienation from society as a result of: Alienation from society as a result of: –Pride –Selfishness –Coldness of heart –Emergence of secret sin into the world