The Romantic Period in American Literature

What did the Romantics prefer?

• countryside
• industrial towns

What is typical of the Romanticism?

• Stress on individual thoughts and personal feelings
• Stress on universal thoughts and ideas

What is Romanticism?

• The essence of reading and writing.

• To believe in something you don't.

• Search the meaning of the known, the human spirit reaches for the unknown.

• Be romantic with the person you love.

What major events or changes happen in the U.S. between 1800 and 1860?

• Westward Expansion—Jefferson Purchase is made and Lewis and Clark are exploring the west

• Slaves existed in the US.

• People wanted to travel to Europe.

• There were many obstacles to be free.

True/False : Romanticism focuses on romantic love stories.

• Absolutely!!!

• NO. It focuses on self-expression through imagination.

What is American Romanticism?

• A journey away from corruption of civilization toward nature and imagination

• finding truth in reason

• worshipping God

• believing God was available to all people at all times

What is rationalism?

• bases truth on religious beliefs

• values feeling and intuition over reason

• Reason is the chief source and test of knowledge

• values corruption and death

The Romantic literary era was bounded by:

• the Revolutionary and Civil Wars
• WWI and WWII

Romantics thought the beauty of nature was a path to:

• new places
• sophistication
• spiritual development
• picnic areas

The most important genre of literature to Romantics is

• sermons
• brochures
• poetry
• novels