Introduction to American Romanticism

American Romanticism

1820-1865

Poll

Could you give up all of your material possessions and live in nature, off the land, for the rest of your life?

• Yes

• No

Poll

Sensitivity, feelings, and spontaneity are more important than intellectualism.

• AGREE

• DISAGREE

Poll

Nature is more important than art.

• AGREE

• DISAGREE

Poll

The use of one’s imagination is more important than rational thought.

• AGREE

• DISAGREE

BEFORE WE LOOK AT WHAT
ROMANTICISM IS, WE HAVE
TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT IS

NOT!

• Despite the name of the literary period, Romanticism

does not deal with sappy love stories.

THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF
LITERATURE THAT WE ARE
GOING TO STUDY!

What does Romanticism Mean?

– Value feeling and intuition over reason.
– Romantic journey is to the countryside, which Romantics

associated with independence, moral clarity, and healthful living.

– Romanticism is “a psychological voyage to the country of the

imagination.”

Multiple Choice

What years are associated with American Romanticism?

• 1600-1680

• 1720-1800

• 1800-1860

• 1920-1980

ELEMENTS OF ROMANTICISM

• Frontier: vast expanse, freedom, no geographic

limitations. Native Americans were valorized

• Optimism: greater than in Europe because of the

presence of frontier.

• Experimentation: in science, in institutions.
• Mingling of races: immigrants in large numbers

arrive to the US.

• Growth of industrialization: polarization of north

and south; north becomes industrialized, south
remains agricultural.

Multiple Choice

Vocabulary Sidebar: Which of the following statements best describes the meaning of "valorized"?

• To create a false sense of value for something.

• To make something more valuable.

• To ignore the value of something.

• To reduce the value of something.

CHARACTERISTICS OF AMERICAN

ROMANTICISM

▣ Values feeling and

intuition over reason

▣ Places faith in inner

experience and the
power of the
imagination

▣ Shuns the artificiality

of civilization and
seeks unspoiled
nature

▣ Prefers youthful

innocence to educated
sophistication

▣ Champions individual

freedom and the worth
of the individual

▣ Contemplates nature’s

beauty as a path to
spiritual and moral
development

Multiple Choice

What do you think is a characteristic of an American Romantic Hero?

• Like to live in the city.

• Is innocent and pure of purpose

• Fight for their country.

• Travels to many countries and enjoy vacation.

CHARACTERISTICS

•THE 5 I’s

•Imagination
•Intuition
•Idealism
•Inspiration
•Individuality

Match

What are the 5 I's of Romanticism? Match the following:

• Innocence

• Imagination

• Intuition

• Inspiration from Nature

• Inner Experience

Pure of Heart, Childlike

Whimsical, creative; In the mind

A gut feeling

Reject city life, influenced by nature

Thoughts and feelings about your life

• Pure of Heart, Childlike

• Whimsical, creative; In the mind

• A gut feeling

• Reject city life, influenced by nature

• Thoughts and feelings about your life

ROMANTIC SUBJECT

MATTER

• Mysticism- Knowledge of God is attainable through the use

of human faculties, transcends intellect and does not use
normal human perceptions and logical processes

• Individualism - Heightened awareness of moods and mental

potentials as well as personality

• Love of Nature –

• Nature was perfect
• Primitive People closer to God--Native Americans (they thought)
• Human nature prone to good; evil result of self-imposed limitations

on freedom

• Focus on Exoticism and History

  • Romantic-era literature often has a distinct focus on exotic locations and events or items from history.

Multiple Choice

Romantics were inspired by supernatural tales and myths

• true

• false

Multiple Choice

What type of setting would you expect in a Romantic Era story?

• Urban life

• A bustling village

• A vast open landscape

• A setting that reminded people of life in Europe

Multiple Choice

Romantics believed that nature = corruption

• true

• false

BEFORE WE LOOK AT WHAT
ROMANTICISM IS, WE HAVE
TO THINK ABOUT WHAT IT IS

NOT!

• Despite the name of the literary period, Romanticism

does not deal with sappy love stories.

THIS IS NOT THE KIND OF
LITERATURE THAT WE ARE
GOING TO STUDY!

American Romanticism Example: LEGENDS OF THE

FALL (1994)

Three brothers and
their father living in
the remote
wilderness, dealing
with themes of love,
freedom, and the
wildness of the
American landscape.

American Romanticism Example: BIG FISH(2003)

A film that explores
the grandeur of
storytelling and the
individual's journey
through imaginative
narratives and a deep
connection with the
natural world

Part of the American Romantic Movement

Believed that:

Truth could not be perceived with the five senses

Human soul is part of the Oversoul or universal

spirit, which it returns to at a person’s death

Held nature in as an object of worship

1840-1855

Multiple Choice

Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions corrupt the purity of the human soul

• True

• False

Transcendentalist Example: INTO THE WILD (2007)

This film, based on a
true story, follows the
journey of Christopher
McCandless as he
abandons society to live
in the Alaskan
wilderness, emphasizing
the themes of
self-discovery and the
transcendental power of
nature.

Transcendentalist Example: DEAD POET’S SOCIETY

(1989)

This movie showcases
the importance of
non-conformity, free
thought, and the value of
seizing the day (carpe
diem), as taught by an
English teacher to his
students in a
conservative academy.

Multiple Choice

What did the Romantics value more?

• City Life

• Life in Nature

• ​Value feeling / emotion / intuition

• Place faith in inner experience and the power of imagination

• Prefer youthful innocence to educated sophistication

• Fight for individual freedom and the worth of the individual

• Contemplate nature's beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development

​

Romantic Values

Multiple Choice

Transcendentalism encourages:

• following the rules

• being like everyone else

• joining the majority opinion

• not conforming to what others do and say

DARK ROMANTICISM

Open Ended

Take a moment and think about the things that scare you the most.

Open Ended

What are common themes, trends, or what always tends to happen in scary/horror movies?

WHO WERE THE DARK ROMANTICS?

•Nineteenth-century writers who explored the dark
side of human nature.

•Explored the human potential for evil, including the
psychological effects of guilt, sin, and madness.

•The Dark Romantic view countered the optimism of
the Transcendentalist writers of the time.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TRANSCENDENTALISTS

AND DARK ROMANTICS

Saw divine goodness and
beauty beneath everyday
reality

Believed spiritual truths may
be ugly or frightening

Embraced the mystical and
idealistic elements of
Puritan thought

Reintroduced the dark side of
Puritan beliefs: the idea of
Original Sin and the human
potential for evil

Transcendentalists

Dark Romantics

SIMILARITIES BETWEEN

TRANSCENDENTALISTS AND DARK ROMANTICS

True reality is spiritual.

Intuition is superior to logic

or reason.

Human events contain
signs and symbols of

spiritual truths.

Transcendentalist

s

Dark Romantics

Multiple Choice

Two sub-genres of Romanticism are

• guilt and sin

• good and evil

• dark romanticism and transcendentalism

• sin and psychology

Example of Dark Romanticism: TWILIGHT (2008)

Evil vs. good

Betrayal
Darkness

Forbidden love

Example of Dark Romanticism: SLEEPY HOLLOW

(1999)

Directed by Tim Burton, this

film adaptation of

Washington Irving's story

features supernatural

themes, a gloomy

atmosphere, and a focus on

the macabre.

Multiple Choice

What did the dark romantics focus on as subject matter?

• how nature is comforting

• the twisted inner workings of the human mind

• the beauty of the spiritual realm

• sordid love stories

Multiple Choice

Which of the following authors was NOT a dark romantic writer?

• Edgar Allan Poe

• Washington Irving

• William Shakespeare

• Herman Melville

Multiple Choice

Which of the following would be a setting in Dark Romantic works?

• A graveyard

• Catacombs

• The woods at night

• A haunted house

• All of these

Multiple Choice

Dark Romantic works are most likely to include which kind of element?

• Supernatural

• Comedic relief

• Romance

• All of these

Multiple Choice

Which of these is a supernatural creature?

• Demon

• Ghost

• Vampire

• Werewolf

• All of these