Origins & Traits of Romanticism in American Lit: Romanticism, Transcendentalism & Gothic, Study notes of Art

Download Origins & Traits of Romanticism in American Lit: Romanticism, Transcendentalism & Gothic and more Study notes Art in PDF only on Docsity! Unit #2: Romanticism, Transcendentalism, & Gothic Literature Part 1: Romanticism (1820 – 1865) America Grows as a Nation  At the beginning of 1800’s the U.S. population exploded, and Americans forged an independent nation.  The Louisiana Purchase was the biggest land deal in history.  This was settled between France and the United States in 1803.  The size of the United States doubled with this purchase & a century of westward expansion was launched. What is Romanticism?  Romanticism refers to a movement in art, literature, and music during the 19th century.  It first emerged in the 1790s in Germany and Britain, and in the 1820s in France and elsewhere.  It is known as the Romantic Movement or Romantic Revival. Romanticism vs. Puritanism & Age of Reason  The Romantic movement was a reaction to both the strict beliefs of the Puritans and the rationalism of the 18th-century Age of Reason.  The authors of the new Romantic movement rejected the ordered rationality of the writings of the Puritans and writers during the American Revolution. Romanticism vs. Puritanism & Age of Reason  The Romantic writers felt that the literature of the 1700s and earlier was too mechanical, impersonal, and artificial.  Romantics were less concerned with social or political reform (as was dominant during the Age of Reason) than with the expression of their own intuitive experience. Intuition  Romantics placed value on “intuition.”  Feelings and instincts are now considered superior to rationality or reason as the mode of perceiving and experiencing reality.  Intuition leads one to truth.  British Romantic writer William Wordsworth described poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” Idealism  Idealism is the belief that we should always strive for our highest ideals.  This can be achieved through the human spirit and the mind.  A person’s thoughts or ideas have a crucial role in making the world the way it is. Inspiration (Religion)  The Romantics found inspiration through the natural world.  Estranged from traditional religious beliefs, the romantics looked upon nature as the dwelling place of God.  God and the natural universe were considered to be one and the same.  They perceived nature as a metaphor for the sublime power and mystery of forces that inspire solace and self-discovery. Natural Settings  Romantics emphasized the beauty, strangeness, and mystery of nature.  Romantics saw nature not as a machine but as an organic process.  Nature is in constant development and is always changing. Natural Settings  Romantics also believed in the natural goodness of humans.  To the Romantics, nature equals innocence and goodness.  They believed that the urban life of civilization hinders the goodness of humans.  Therefore, most of the settings will take place in secluded locations such as the wilderness. Settings in the past  Many of the settings of Romantic literature take place in the more “natural” past.  Part of this was due to the rise of nationalism in the United States during this time.  This new sense of nationalism brought with it a new interest in the American past.  From the work of the Romantic writers, and those who followed, American literature gradually developed a sense of a national past and of an emerging national character. Romantic Literature: Poetry  Romantic literature usually came in the form of either poetry, short stories, or novels.  However, to the Romantic mind, poetry was the highest embodiment of the imagination.  Romantic artists often contrasted poetry with science, which they saw as destroying the very truth it claimed to seek. Romantic Literature: short stories & novels  While Romantic poets of the time were still staying close to traditional forms, American novelists were discovering new subject matter to explore.  The development of the American novel coincided with the following: 1) westward expansion 2) the growth of a nationalist spirit 3) the rapid spread of cities.  All these factors, however, tended to reinforce the idealization of frontier life and romanticized it. James Fenimore Cooper  We can see how the novel developed in America by looking at the career of James Fenimore Cooper (1789 – 1851).  Cooper explored uniquely American settings and characters: frontier communities, American Indians, backwoodsmen, and the wilderness of western New York and Pennsylvania.  Most of all he created the first American heroic figure: Natty Bumppo (also known as Hawkeye, Deerslayer, and Leatherstocking). The First American Hero in Literature  Natty Bumppo is an appropriate Romantic hero, not just because he is a figure of heroic action, but also because he represents a “natural” view of life that is both simple and profound.  Bumppo’s values are defined by life outside society in the wilderness.  Bumppo has many qualities that mark him as a true Romantic hero:  virtuous  skillful frontiersman  simple morality  love of nature  distrust of town life  almost superhuman resourcefulness Natty Bumppo  The character of Natty Bumpoo first appears in Cooper’s novel The Pioneers.  After he is imprisoned for shooting a deer out of season, Bumppo flees town life for the wilderness.  There he remains an uncorrupted “natural” man, who, like the American Indian, respects nature and tries to live in harmony with it.  Bumppo also appears in these popular sequels: The Last of the Mohicans, The Prairie, The Pathfinder, and The Deerslayer.  We will watch clips of the 1992 film The Last of the Mohicans and look for the characteristics of this literary movement in the characters and story. 1.WASHINGTON IRVING (1783-1859)  Set an example for humorous writing  Pioneered the short story as a literary form.  Distinctly American settings and characters  “The Devil and Tom Walker”, “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” Romantic Writers