The New American Literature
The period of Romanticism, occurring between the years 1800 and 1860, left a significant impact on not only the literature of that time, but the literature of today as well. Prior to romantic writings, the world focused on society and logic. Romanticism allowed people to start valuing individualism and to appeal to emotional responses. This new way of thinking brought new literary styles, themes, and genres that were never explored before and are still found today. The literature of Romanticism allowed people to escape the harshness of reality and enter a different world.
The establishment of a new nation encouraged the people to alter their philosophical way of thinking. The European way of thinking was still relevant in America due to their recent ties to Great Britain. This way of thinking was known as the Enlightenment and it encouraged logic over emotion and self-governance. Wanting to become an independent, unique nation, they began to establish a new way of thinking, known as the romantic way of thinking. It is said that "[i]t was a revolt against established order, especially that which was established by the enlightenment," which shows the rebellious nature of people of this time and how badly they wanted to be different ("Romanticism"). Along with the Enlightenment, the American Revolution also helped influence the people of that time. The American Revolution, which occurred in the year 1776, marked America’s independence from their
English Romanticism was an intellectual, artistic, and literary movement in the eighteenth and nineteenth century that swept all over Europe; it affected not only literature, but all areas of life and society. The concept of Romanticism started when people began to feel a deep concern for problems of our existence, death, and the world. Romantic literature was more emotional, personal, and intense than what had been seen in any other type of literature. Romanticism can include one or all of these elements such as emotions, childhood, innocence, nature, the past, supernatural, the common man, and the individual. When Romanticism reached America during the early nineteenth century it widely influenced American writers such as Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne to write Romantic short stories, poems, and novels. Romantic authors were motivated to write with more emotion, and expression, while adding more detailed characters without fear of judgment and dispute. One unique Romantic British author, Mary Shelley, wrote the Romantic novel, Frankenstein.
The romantic period and its literature is solely based off of reform and change. At the time, slavery was very prodominit in the Americas, but the people profiting from their virtues in England were oblivious to the conditions the slaves had to endure. On the other hand, women were fighting their oppressions at home. This was not a case of poor living conditions, like the slaves, but trying to break away from social standards and stereotypes placed upon them. At the time, the main way to get out information and spread a cause was through literature, because it reached the higher, literate classes in society. Mary Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Woman and The Interesting Narrative of Olaudah Equiano both exposed social problems during the romantic
The topic that I have chose is American Romanticism. When I first began reading about this topic, I was puzzled. I selected this topic in an effort to better understand what I was reading. Before I began reading about American Romanticism, I did not have much knowledge about the topic as history confuses me and I cannot remember it well. Due to the part of the reading that I understood, the question that I want to have answered is the following: do people today take ideas from American Romanticism more seriously than the people of their time did?
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 period of Romanticism, occurring between the years 1800 and 1860, left a significant impact on not only the literature of that time, but the literature of today as well. Prior to romantic writings, the world focused on society and logic. Romanticism allowed people to start valuing individualism and to appeal to emotional responses. This new way of thinking brought new literary styles, themes, and genres that were never explored before and are still found today. The literature of Romanticism allowed people to escape the harshness of reality and enter a different world.
Romanticism (also called Romantic Era or Romantic period) was a complex artistic, literary, and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Europe, and developed in reaction to the Industrial Revolution. In part, it was a movement against various social and political norms and ideas of the Age of Enlightenment. It strongly influenced the visual arts, music, and literature, but it had impact on education and natural history as well.
Imagine a candle-lit dinner on a starry night in Paris, the Eiffel Tower just in view with dazzling lights shining into the night. This image is probably what you think of when you hear the word “romantic,” correct. However, this image is a stumbling block when people think of the “Romanticism Period” in literature. Where “romantic” means having a lovely time with the person you love the most, “Romanticism” is a piece of literature written with key themes in mind. Those themes tend to be a strong emotion, imagery or worship of nature, and individuality and subjectivity. The peak of inspiration for these pieces was in the years 1800-1850, and there are famous poems that are well loved today from this period. Many of the poets that you enjoy reading and know are, in actuality, Romanticism writers, and instill the themes above in our minds.
The Romantic Era in American Literature blossomed amidst a time in our history when the population was focused on a revolutionary, yet chivalrous change in all facets of life. This phase of American Literature was a license to reject the old ideas of Rationalism, the Age of Reasoning, and traditional religious beliefs. The new train of thought was found in the author's freedom of expression without the customary restraints found in previous literary works. The characteristics embodied in the writings of the day reflected the spirit of the politicians, theologians, and settlers looking to form a more democratic and less corrupt society. It was through the development of the emotional and psychological depiction of characters that Romanticism became a more sensual, emotional way of thinking rather than cold, scientific logic.
The Romantic era began in 1770, with its peak being from 1800 to 1850. With emphasis on the imagination and emotion, Romanticism emerged as a result of the Enlightenment period, which heavily placed values upon reason and order. Thus, Romanticism depends heavily on “the practical accomplishments of the prior un-Romantic era— a relationship between material wealth and scientific knowledge on one hand, and personal, spiritual, or emotional transcendence on the other, that twenty-first century Americans continue to manage.” The simplest explanation for what is Romantic is “‘anything but the here and now’ or whatever is not realistic” (“Romanticism”). The
American Romanticism was the first full-fledged literary movement that developed in the U.S. it was made up of a group of authors who wrote and published between around 1820-1860, when the U.S. was still finding it’s feet as a new nation. Although it hadn’t known any national boundaries. The basic idea for this is in Romanticism is that reason cannot explain everything. In reaction to the cult of nationality that was Enlightenment, Romanticism had searched for deeper appeals. This had led romantics to view things with a different trick that the Enlightenment thinkers. This was a time period where romantics revolted against the “age of reason”. They had celebrated nature, imagination, and intuition. Also the American Romanticism is written in
Romanticism was a period time 1750 to 1870 in Europe, Latin America and The United States. Romantic Movement didn’t reach to France until the 1820’s. Romanticism main spirit was against of rule, law and formulas that classicism the different characterized of general in 18th century. Imagination, Subjectivity of approach, freedom, Expression and the idealization of nature will be focused in movement of Romantic Literature. In this period industrial revolution with the social and political norms form as age of enlightenment and against of scientific rationalization of nature. Some Literature element of that period will be emotional, imagination and suspense. Romanticism movement brings some of different writes such as John Keats, Blake William, Wordsworth William and other. They came with the different illustrated, poetry that expresses the language, emotion and imagination. Romanticism is a phenomenon characterized by subjectivity of approach and reliance on the imagination, An Idealization of nature and freedom of though and expression.
To understand how Romanticism changed the way society thought, you must first understand the meanings and reason behind the movement. The Romantic Movement in the late 18th and early 19th centuries was described as a movement in the history of culture, an aesthetic style, and an attitude of mind. (Fiero) Romanticism provided expression of their thoughts and ideas toward their own societies, which was in effect predominantly in Europe and in the United States. The movement was a reaction to the Enlightenment which provided strict ideology and rationalism. The Church had much to do with the Enlightenment seeing as if religion and the importance of God were incorporated into most aspects of their culture. Thus, Romanticism was a response to
Romanticism was a movement in art and literature that started in the late 18th century and continued throughout the 19th century in Europe and America. The movement rebelled against classicism. The basic idea in Romanticism is that reason cannot explain everything. This in contrast to the Age of Enlightenment, which focused more on scientific and rational thinking, Romantics searched for deeper appeals, emotional directness of personal experience and visionary relationship to imagination and aspiration. Romantics favoured more natural, emotional and personal artistic themes. Some of the most notable writers of Romanticism were Mary Shelley, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Victor Hugo, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Friedrich von Schiller.
The start of the Romantic Age coincided with the start of the French Revolution in 1789. It ends in 1837. Just as the revolution was changing the social order, the romantic poets were taking literature in a whole new direction. The mechanical reason that pervaded the work of the previous era was replaced by strong emotions and a return to nature. Animals and respect for nature were frequently used subjects in works of his period. The first generation of poets included William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge, and Sir Walter Scott. Their primary contribution to literature was with their lyrical ballads. They used the typical romantic themes of respect for nature and all of its creatures. Wordsworth is above all the poet
Beginning with the arrival of the first humans in North America through the aftermath of the War of 1812, America was formed through a collision of cultures in the 16th century. Throughout Unit 1 colonies thrived to settle in the New World of North America. The Age of Exploration consisted of Europeans colonizing in North America and learning how to interact with the Native Americans who already inhabited the land. Colonists began to create civilizations along with governmental systems. Conflict arose among the colonies due to power and property. Major wars broke out due to the English wanting to start a new nation and become independent of Britain. A new nation had formed called the United States through revolutions and creations of governments. The French and Indian War, Revolutionary War, and the ratification of US Constitution were the most significant historical turning points on account of them shaping America and laying a foundation to further US accomplishments and without these events the United States would not be independent from Great Britain or unified under one name.