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Romanticism. And a little bit on Hawthorne. Hawthorne (1804-1864). Scarlet Letter 1850 Evil was very real; doctrine of original sin never far from his view of life “I felt it almost a destiny to make Salem my home”
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Romanticism And a little bit on Hawthorne
Hawthorne (1804-1864) • Scarlet Letter 1850 • Evil was very real; doctrine of original sin never far from his view of life • “I felt it almost a destiny to make Salem my home” • “I take shame upon myself for their sakes and pray that any curse incurred by them…may be now and henceforth removed” • Evil as a force that leaves it make on generation after generation, traces the effects of its corrupting presence • Sin, guilt, probes dark side of human nature
Romanticism (beg. of 19th. c) • Central importance upon the emotions and upon the individual • Reason, though important, not the only or even surest guide to truth • Emphasized intuition, the inner perception of truth, which is indep. of reason • All art is the imaginative expression of the inner essence of the individual • Stress the human potential for social progress and spiritual growth
Subjects • Nature • Emphasized beauty, strangeness, mysticism and mystery of nature • Organic process, constant development, change • Organic connection b/t human imagination and natural world • Truth
Subjects • The Past • Direct interest in national past • Interest in emerging national character
Subjects • The Inner World of Human Nature • Emphasis on emotions, intuition, individual • Encourages expression of writer’s private inner being • Psychological • Poe and Hawthorne