American RomanticismAmerican RomanticismAmerican RomanticismAmerican RomanticismEnglish III: American Literature
� Westward Expansion◦ 1803 Louisiana Purchase doubled the country’s size causing Americans to move and settle farther west to make money and/or gain land
◦ Native Americans were removed from their homes (The Indian Removal Act of 1830)
� “manifest destiny” the idea that it was the
The Spirit of ExplorationThe Spirit of Exploration
� “manifest destiny” the idea that it was the destiny of America to expand to the Pacific Ocean and Mexican territory
� America annexed Texas from Mexico in 1845
� Literature was affected by the changes in society
� The War of 1812 caused an interruption in trade with Britain
� As a result, America had to become more independent◦ The American Industrial Revolution caused
◦ More growth and opportunity
Growth of IndustryGrowth of Industry
◦ More growth and opportunity◦ Shift from majority agrarian economy to
industry-based◦ Negative changes to the way people lived
� Long hours, low wages, harsh working conditions, expansion of slavery to meet the rise of agricultural demands (specifically cotton)
The NegativesThe Negatives
•The rise of commercialism
•Hectic pace of life
•Lack of morals and conscience
The ResultThe Result•Turn to nature and self
Writers focused on the negative affects of industrialization
•Turn to simply parts of life, truth, and beauty
Neoclassicism Romanticism
� Admired and imitated classical forms
� Valued reason
� Strict Puritan era
� Admired nature� Valued emotions and
imagination� Reaction against strict
Puritan era� Captured the energy and
character of a growing country
Themes and Writings of the Themes and Writings of the American Romantic MovementAmerican Romantic Movement
� Strict Puritan era
� Responded to fear of God
country� Saw limits of reason� Celebrated the individual
spirit & human nature� Fascination with the
supernatural
� A group of New England poets who used poetry to uplift people and bring about social reform: abolition of slavery, woman’s rights, work conditions, and temperance (alcohol usage)
� President Jackson took office in 1829.
The Fireside PoetsThe Fireside Poets
� He was against the government being controlled by the wealthy
� Focused on common people
� Led by Ralph Waldo Emerson
� Philosophical and literary movement
� Focused on the simple life
� Celebrates truth found in nature
TranscendentalistsTranscendentalists
� Emphasized on American Ideas:
Optimism, Freedom, and Self-Reliance
� Immanuel Kant was a German Philosopher who developed “Transcendent Form”
� American Spin on transcendentalism◦ Every individual is capable of discovering this higher truth through intuition
◦ People are inherently good◦ People should follow their own beliefs no
TranscendentalistsTranscendentalists--Immanuel KantImmanuel Kant
◦ People should follow their own beliefs no matter how unorthodox
◦ Greatly opposed Puritan heritage, but also disagreed with rising commercialism
� Emphasized moral themes
� Were viewed as equals of British poets
� Individualism and appreciation for nature
� Championed the common man
� Committed to social reform◦ Abolition, women’s rights, temperance, improvement of factory conditions
Fireside PoetsFireside Poets
improvement of factory conditions
OPTIMISM OF THE
TRANSCENDENTALISTS
MOVEMENT BEGAN TO
FADE WHEN CONFRONTED FADE WHEN CONFRONTED
WITH THE DIFFICULTY
ABOLISHING SLAVERY
TranscendentalistsTranscendentalists
� The “Brooding” romantics/
anti-transcendentalists were not optimistic
� Anti-Transcendentalists Writers: ◦ Edgar Allan Poe
◦ Nathaniel Hawthorne
American GothicAmerican Gothic
◦ Nathaniel Hawthorne
◦ Herman Melville
�Characteristics
◦Deep awareness of human capacity for evil
◦Interests in complex and often mysterious human behavior
AntiAnti--transcendentalist writerstranscendentalist writers
mysterious human behavior
◦Emphasized emotion, nature, the individual and the unusual
� Grotesque characters (ex. Chillingsworth)� Bizarre situations (a “devil” child haunting a
man until he confesses his sins)� Violent events (ex. Bricking someone alive in
a wall)� Once the Romantics unleashed the
imagination and the restrictions of reason, writers were allowed to explore all sides of
Gothic Elements Gothic Elements
writers were allowed to explore all sides of human-nature◦ Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein
◦ Monsters, vampires, etc.
� Satire� Imagery� Alliteration� Repetition� Blank Verse� Iambic Pentameter� Enjambment
Structure
Literary focusLiterary focus
� Structure� Rhyme schemes� Author’s Purpose