by Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Rappaccini's Daughter“

An impulse toward reform (temperance, women’s rights, abolition of slavery)

A celebration of individualismA reverence for natureA concern with the impact of new technology An idealization of women A fascination with death and the supernatural

Romanticism was, in a broad sense, a new attitude toward nature, humanity, and society that espoused individualism and freedom. Many trends characterized American Romanticism.

1. sedulous - diligent in application or attention; persevering

2. quaff - to drink a beverage, especially an intoxicating one

3. vagaries - an unpredictable or erratic action, occurrence, an unexpected and inexplicable change in a situation or in someone's behavior

4. torpid- inactive or sluggish

5. arcana - a secret; mystery

6. vacuity - a state of being without contents; absence of thought or intelligence

7. equanimity - mental or emotional stability or composure, especially under tension or strain; calmness; equilibrium. 

8. sallow - of a sickly, yellow color

9. pertinacity - persistence

10.vicissitudes - a change of circumstances or fortune, typically one that is unwelcome or unpleasant

11.efficacious -  Successful in producing a desired or intended result; effective

12.empiric -  A person who relies solely on observation and experiment 

13.alembic- a vessel with a beaked cap, used in distilling

14.zeal- fervor for a person, object, cause ; eager desire or endeavor

Vocabulary

Symbol Evidence of symbolic meaning

How it affects meaning in the story