The Romantic Period1800-1860
•1803: Louisiana territory purchased
•1804: Napoleon becomes emperor of France
•1820: Slavery is prohibited in some new-gained territories
•1814: “Star-Spangled Banner” is written
•1829: Steam locomotive is perfected in England
•1838: “Trail of Tears
Slavery Question
Democratic advances confined to white males
Slavery divided nation Conflict between abolitionists and the
advocated of state’s rights
Rising Industrialization
Factories sprang up Telegraph gave almost instant
communication across great distances Factories took up child labor and
unsafe working conditions Woman’s rights protesting 1869- rail lines linked east and west
coast
Westward Expansion
1845- most western state was Texas Transportation steadily changing and
improving 1824- Eerie Canal set a wave of canal
building 1869- railroad began to dominate long
distance travel
Culture, Customs, Inventions, and Fads
INVENTIONS
Telegraph invented in 1844 Made instant communication across great
distances possible Many telephone companies started as
telegraph services.
The telegraph facilitated almost instant communication across great distances.
The railway system dominated long-distance American travel.
Light bulb invented in 1879 1st light bulb burned for 13 ½ hours Replaced gas lamps and candles in homes
First phonograph invented in 1857 Was limited in size Could play stored music but not arbitrary
sounds or live music
In 1810 Pete Durand invents the tin can 1813 opened the first commercial canning
factory in England 1st tin can was so thick, it had to be
hammered open
FASHION
Woman usually wore longs skirts Hats and shawls were popular Shoes not made for comfort. One shoe could
fit both feet
TYPES OF LITERATURE, THEMES, AND
CHARACTERISTICS OF WRITING
*Short Stories: a piece of prose fiction, usually under 10,000 words
*Folktale: a tale or legend originating and traditional among a people, especially one forming part of the oral tradition of the common people
*Poem: a composition in verse, especially one that is characterized by a highly developed artistic form and by the use of heightened language and rhythm to express an intensely imaginative interpretation of the subject
*Novel: a fictitious prose narrative of considerable length and complexity, portraying characters and usually presenting a sequential organization of action and scenes
Characteristics of Writing
Simile: a figure of speech that makes a direct comparison between two subjects using
either like or as.
Metaphor: a figure of speech in which one thing is spoken of as though it were
something else.
Symbolism: a literary movement during the nineteenth century that influenced poets. Symbolists turned away from everyday,
realistic details to express emotions by using a pattern of symbols.
Point of view: perspective or vantage point at which the story is told.
Imagery: the descriptive or figurative language used in literature to create word
pictures for the reader.
Reverence for the imagination over reason
Interest in the past
High regard for inner feelings and emotions; intuition over fact
Quest for individual to define himself
Nature inspires man to high ideals and is loved and respected
Authors
Washington Irving (1783-1859)
• Born April 3, 1783 in New York City
• His father was a merchant• Irving was the youngest• Apprenticed to lawyer-1801• Passed ‘bar examination’ in
1806• Interest in writing promoted by
brother, Peter• Best know works: Rip van
Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow
William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)
• Best known works: Thanatopsis
•Born November 3, 1794 in Cummington, Massachusetts
•Son of Sarah Snell and Peter Bryant
•Entered Williams College at 15 (1810)
•Left school in 1811
•Admitted to the bar in 1815
•Married Frances Fairchild in 1821
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)(A “Fireside” Poet)
• Born February 27, 1807 in Portland, Maine
• Second son • 1825- graduated from Bowdoin college
• 1829- professor at Bowdoin
• 1835-54Smith Professor of Modern Languages at Harvard University
• 1831-Longfellow married Mary Storer Potter
• 1843-Marriage to second wife, Fanny Appleton
• Best known works: Paul Revere’s Ride, The Courtship of Miles Standish, The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline
James Russell Lowell (1819-1891)(A “Fireside” Poet)
• Born February 22, 1819 in Cambridge, Massachusetts• Graduated from Harvard University in 1838 and from Harvard Law
School in 1840• First wife died in 1853• In 1857 he married Frances Dunlap
Best known works: The Biglow Papers, The Vision of Sir Launfal, and The Cathedral
Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)(A “Fireside” Poet)
• Born August 29, 1809 in Cambridge, Massachusetts
• Son of Sarah and Abiel Holmes• Studied at Phillips Academy from
1824-5• Graduated from Harvard in 1829• Received his M.D from Harvard in
1836• Dartmouth professor from 1838-
40• Harvard professor from 1847-82,
six of which he was dean of the medical school
• Best known work: “Breakfast Table” pieces and novels, Elsie Venner, The Guardian Angel, and A Mortal Antipathy*He admitted that all of the above novels were “medicated”*
John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)(A “Fireside” Poet)
• Born December 7, 1807 in Haverhill, Massachusetts
• Two terms at Haverhill Academy (1827-8)
• Little other formal schooling• Worked as a newspaper editor
in first in Boston and then in Hartford, Connecticut (1829-32)
•Best known works: “The Barefoot Boy”, Snow-Bound, “Telling the Bees”, and “Barbara Frietchie”