A Social Study: Finding People Through A Lens

American Romanticism is a journey away from the corruption of civilization and the limits of rational thoughts, and toward the integrity of nature and the freedom of imagination. In other words, it is a journey away from industrialism or rationalism, which is working hard and earning money. This movement, originally started in Europe and later reached in America. It can be best defined as a thought that values feeling and intuition over reason. Some of the characteristics include the importance of feeling and intuition over reason, placing faith in inner experience and the power of imagination, preferring youthful innocence over educated sophistication, finding beauty and reality in exotic locales. It encouraged people to enjoy the integrity of nature and freedom of imagination. It also encouraged one to have faith in imagination and inner experience. In addition, romanticists found inspiration in myth, legend, and folk culture and found poetry as the highest expression of imagination. Romanticists believed that the landscape was regarded as an extension of the human personality, capable of sympathy with man 's emotional state, whereas nature was regarded as a vehicle for spirit just as man; the breath of God fills both man and the earth. However, romantics would create chaos when the issues were connected with human rights, individualism, and freedom from oppression (Arpin 138-150).

American Romanticism illustrates the first purely American literary movement that began alongside the beginning of a new nation. American Romanticism appeared in response to the rationalists, such as Ben Franklin, which the American Romantics believed to be too single-minded and not as expressive. Therefore, this literary movement turned away from the corruption of cities and the physical world and focused on nature and imagination. Washington Irving, in his stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle”, displays characteristics of American Romanticism and creates American Romantic heroes.

Within the passage of Walden, by Henry David Thoreau, it demonstrates multiple examples of Romanticism. The concepts being mentioned are ideas about going transcending ordinary societal beliefs, following ones’ intuition, and creating a new moral law.

The Romantic Movement, or period, was from the year 1828 to about 1865. The main feature of the American Romantic period was the celebration and praise of individualism. This time is also considered to be the first period of genuine American creativity. Emotion, instead of reason, became the largest source of inspiration and creativity during this period. All of this was a reaction to all of the constraints that were forced on people during the era of Realism. At this time in history, America was in a great period of expansion, the writers of the American Romantic period were discovering that could create a new and vastly different voice for this new era in

“The Romantic movement, which originated in Germany but quickly spread to England, France, and beyond, reached America around the year 1820(VanSpanckeren).” Although, there was something different. The American romanticism came about during the time when Americans were trying to find their voice. It solidified the identity and passion in the pieces of the American renaissance. In his essay "The Poet" (1844), Ralph Waldo Emerson, perhaps the most influential writer of

In Richard Borshay Lee’s essay, Eating Christmas in the Kalahari, he shares a story based off his own life experience as an anthropologist during his time in the Kalahari Desert. During his time there, Lee decided that he would take on the position as the Bushman for the annual Christmas custom of slaughtering an ox. This was his opportunity to show his gratitude for all that they did for him. He planned “to slaughter the largest, meatiest ox that money could buy, insuring that the feast and trance-dance would be a success” (1). However, once he found his perfect match the townspeople reprimanded his purchase, declaring that it was a ‘bag of bones’.

American Romanticism was an era full of authentic styles and unusual topics. Romanticism started in 1830 and lasted until about 1870, but was the era for artistic writers to blossom into who they are known as today. Two of the most famous authors during this time period were Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman. Each author is famous for their different styles of writing, and forever shaped the American Romanticism era.

Finally, to think that this romanticism fiesta all began in the eighteen hundreds in the influence of moral scene. first to be found in the the works of Jonathan Edwards and Thomas Jefferson, it is most evident in the gothic and sentimental fictions that flourished in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. It is customary, however, to date the official beginning of American Romanticism from the rise of Bostonian "transcendentalism" in the

Early Romantics drew their inspiration from nature and concentrated individualism, emotional identity, and the basic elements of imagination in their literature. Reflections of the American growth and struggle prevailed through their writing as most Romantics were advocates for human rights. This can be seen in William Cullen Bryant’s 1817 poem “Thanatopsis” as it aided in establishing Romanticism in American literature during the mid-19th century.

Romanticism was a literary movement that swept through virtually the country of Europe, the United States, and Latin America that lasted from 1750 to 1870. Romanticism praised imagination over reason, emotions over logic, and intuition over science-making ways for a vast body of literature. The Romantic style resembled a fanciful character of medieval romances. This Era stressed on self-expression and individual uniqueness that does not lend itself to precise definition. Among the characteristics of Romanticism were libertarianism and nature. Libertarianism engendered by the romantic philosophy, the desire to be free of tyranny. The romantic association of nature and spirit expressed itself in two ways; it either regarded as an extension of the human personality, or nature is regarded as a vehicle for spirits such as man (mthlyoke.edu). This paper is going to tell you about two of the writers of the Romanticism Era, Edgar Allen Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, how real-life events affected their writings, and how their professional careers affected their writings.

During the years leading up to 1800, America had gained its political freedom from England. Establishing a cultural independence was just beginning. American Literature while closely tied to English literary influences was finding its own voice known as American Romanticism. Romanticism as a literary movement originated in Europe at the end of the 18th century. From this early stage, Romanticism quickly spread to England in 1789 with Wordsworth’s publication of Lyrical Ballads and jumped almost immediately to America. Some of the Romantic elements featured individualism, nature-worship, philosophic idealism, religious mysticism, opposition to political authority and social convention, and a continuing interest in the supernatural. It was

Early Romantics were inspired by the beauty of America. Since America was newly separated from Britain at the time American romantic writers often displayed that by showing individuality and steering away from the strict form of British writing. Writers of this time focused on individuality and tended to put an emphasis on romanticism and emotion rather than realism.

Romanticism took place in the early 1800's, it focused on the evolution and the effects nature has upon the universe. This time period helped grasp imagination, emotions, symbolism, and focus on the individual of one's self. I will be evaluating the authors, Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne to demonstrate how their works relate to the time era of the 18th century.

Merriam Webster defines the Age of Romanticism as an 18th century movement in art, literature and philosophy while placing an emphasis on the imagination and emotions of an individual. French Romantic writer Victor Hugo defines this sublime period as a, “liberalism in literature,” in which writers freed themselves from the chains of political and social constraints. The latter definition describes the essence of the literary renaissance that aroused during the Age of Romanticism. American Romantic writers such as Washington Irving, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Henry David Thoreau were notable for their work in evincing Romantic ideas through the use of literary elements.

The Romantic Movement, or the American Renaissance, originated in Germany. This period spread to England, France, and reached America in the early 1800’s. Just as in Europe a new light was shed on the artistic and intellectual circles. However in America romanticism corresponded with national expansion and the discovery of American voice. The foundation of national identity, the rising of idealism, and the passion of Romanticism fostered the “American Renaissance. (Outline of American Lit.)