American Romanticism

1800-1860

Romanticism:

An artistic movement, or a state of mind, that

favors imagination over reason, and intuition over facts.

Romanticism also means “ideal,” “perfect,” or “dreamlike”

History from 1800-1840

Monroe Doctrine

Louisiana Purchase of 1803 War of 1812

Explanation of Historical Events• Louisiana Purchase: Finally, after signing the Louisiana Purchase

Treaty (1803) on May 2, the United States took possession on December 20, 1803. The Louisiana Purchase, at a cost of $15 million, doubled the United States' size.

• War of 1812(1812-1815): The United States declared war on Britain (and colonies in Canada). – The U.S. had grievances against British presence near the Great Lakes;

they were believed to supply native Americans with weapons.– Britain failed to recognize citizenship of American sailors –Britain

impressed American seamen to fight in the Royal Navy (many wars with France at the time—Napoleon is in power)

– U.S hoped to gain Canadian territories.• Monroe Doctrine: State by President James Monroe in 1823, it

established the U.S. foreign policy expressing opposition to colonization or expansion of European control.

Historical Impact• Westward Expansion and the rapid growth of

the nation led to an upsurge of national pride and identity.

• The creation of American military heroes and literary heroes encouraged a feeling of solidarity.

• The separation from Europe allowed for the development of a governmental identity.

American Cultural Development-

• Search for cultural independence –200 years, American looked to Europe, for most of their literature

–Europeans were “cultured”— They were sophisticated and education marked and distinguished by social classes. The land had distinct urban centers of trade and commerce (London) and a long history of government and civilization.

• In contrast, a young United States had none of these cultural trademarks. All things European became viewed with distain.

• Americans began to experiment with their own literary identity…

The Consummation of Empire by Thomas Cole

Sunset by Thomas Moran

•As you look at the following pieces of art answer this question, what identity did artists find in their creation of artistic landscapes and literary heroes?

Kindred Spirits by Asher Durand

This work pictures Thomas Cole and William Cullen Bryant, two prominent figures in American Romanticism.

In the Mountain by Albert Bierstadt

                                              

Romantic HeroesWhat qualities do they have in common?

He was one of the first heroes in American literature

Meet Rip Van Winkle….

Major Authors

Edgar Allan Poe

Washington Irving

William Cullen Bryant

Romantic Writers ValueImagination

The writers say imagination•can apprehend truths the rational mind could not reach; these truths were usually accompanied by powerful emotion and associated with natural, unspoiled beauty.

•Has faith in inner experience

•Focuses on mystery and the strange and fantastic aspects of human experience

Romantic Writers Value Nature

The writers say nature

•Shuns the artificiality of civilization and seeks unspoiled nature

•Contemplates nature’s beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development because nature reveals underlying beauty and truth

•Finds beauty and truth in exotic locales and the supernatural realm

Romantic Writers Value Individuality

The writers say the individual

•Prefers youthful innocence to educated sophistication

•Champions individual freedom and the worth of the individual

Romantic Writers ValueHistory

The writers say history

•Looks backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress

•Finds inspiration in folk culture, myth, and legend

Dark Romantic Writers: Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Valued intuition over reasoning • Believed nature is not the spiritual doorway to the

universal soul; not all signs of nature are good and harmless

• Believed Romantic writers ignore the concept of Original Sin; some entities are innately evil and not all elements in nature are perfect

• Dark Romantic writers explored literary themes – Battles between good and evil – They wrote about the psychological effects of guilt and sin. – They were the first writers to present psychopathic characters

and explore the realms of madness and the deranged mind.