American Romanticism:

1. American Romanticism: “Imagination and the Individual” 1800-1860

2. When you think of American romanticism, think of this: “Where the Wild Things Are”

3. Romanticism is… A journey away from the corruption of civilization and the limits of rational thought and toward the integrityof nature and the freedom of the imagination.

4. Origins of Romanticism • Reaction against the Enlightenment and Rationalism (Age of Reason) • View of the city & progress as corrupt. Too systematic and fake. • Renouncement of materialism

5. Characteristics of the romantic journey: • to the countryside or to adventure • associated with… independence moral clarity healthful living • flight away from something or • to something or • emphasis on something better

6. Romantic hero is • Youthful • Innocent and pure of purpose • Idealistic with a sense of honor based on some higher principle – not on society’s rules • Possesses singular (unique, remarkable) skills • Quests for some higher truth in the natural world • Has a knowledge of people and of life based on deep, intuitive understanding – not on formal learning • Rejects conformity • Loves nature and avoids the masses

7. Celebrating the imagination Romanticism… • values feeling and intuition over reason • apprehends powerful truths that the rational mind cannot reach • associates strong emotions with natural, unspoiled beauty

8. Elements of Romanticism NEED SIN Supernatural Intuition, individualism, imagination, innocence, independence Nostalgia for the past • Nature inspiring wisdom • Exotic setting • Emotion and feeling over reason • Distrust of civilization and progress

9. Nature (Elements of romanticism) • Path to moral and spiritual development • Preferable to civilization and progress • Doorway to ideal world • Romantics would say, “GO OUT AND EXPERIENCE NATURE!” • Learn from nature, not society

10. Exotic settings (Elements of romanticism) • Sources of truth and beauty • Examination of personality, moods, and mental potentialities • Focus on passion and inner struggles

11. Emotion (Elements of romanticism) • Trust of feelings is important • Literary themes emphasize emotion, not morality • Feelings over reason • Senses over intellect

12. Distrust (Elements of romanticism) • Avoids society/city life • Shuns artificiality of civilization • Questions progress

13. Supernatural (Elements of romanticism) • Supernatural realm • Exotic locales • Gothic • Wild, haunted landscapes • Strange events • Mysterious settings • Psychological exploration of the human mind*

14. The five “I’s” (Elements of romanticism) • Intuition • Individual • Imagination • Innocence • Independence

15. Nostalgia (Elements of romanticism) • Concern for and focus on the past • Myths • Legends • Folk culture

16. Additional romantic characteristics: • American settings • An attempt to establish authenticity • Sense of optimism

17. America’s Romantic writers…(preview – no need to write these down today) • James Fenimore Cooper (Last of the Mohicans) 1789-1851 • Washington Irving (Rip Van Winkle) 1783-1859 • William Cullen Bryant (Thanatopsis) 1794-1878 • Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter) 1804-1864 • Edgar Allan Poe (The Telltale Heart, etc) 1809-1849 • Herman Melville (Moby Dick) 1819-1891

18. *The Dark Romantics • focused on the grotesque, the gloomy, the morbid, the fantastic • valued intuition & emotion over logic and reason • saw symbols, spiritual truths, signs in nature and everyday events • acknowledged the evil of man & the horror of evil.

19. Dark romantics include… (“mph”) Herman Melville ~ author of Moby Dick, the classic tale of good v. evil & man v. nature. Edgar Allan Poe ~ master of the psychological thriller & founder of modern detective story. Nathaniel Hawthorne ~ examiner of the human mind & the effects of sin & evil.

20. Remember…Elements of Romanticism = “NEED SIN”: • Nature inspiring wisdom • Exotic setting • Emotion and feeling over reason • Distrust of civilization and progress • Supernatural • Intuition, individualism, imagination, innocence, independence • Nostalgia for the past

21. Remember, when thinking of romanticism… "Where the Wild Things Are" or Planet Earth TrailerEarth Trailer

22. (N.E.E.D. S.I.N.) DREAMS by Mary Oliver All nightthe dark buds of dreamsopenrichly.In the centerof every petalis a letter,and you imagineif you could only rememberand string them all togetherthey would spell the answer.It is a long night, • and not an easy one—you have so many branches,and there are diversions—birds that come and go,the black fox that lies downto sleep beneath you,the moon staringwith her bone-white eye.Finally you have spentall the energy you canand you drag from the groundthe muddy skirt of your roots. • and leap awakewith two or three syllableslike water in your mouthand a sense • of loss—a memorynot yet of a word,certainly not yet the answer—only how it feelswhen deep in the treeall the locks click open,and the fire surges through the wood,and the blossoms blossom.

23. Elements of Romanticism… Nature • The Romantics valued the beauty and existence of nature. The Romantics wanted to go against society’s norms of work and routine. • What are we doing to show this? • An Inconvenient Truth Trailer • (video trailer) http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0497116/trailers-screenplay-E30439-314

24. billboard examples

25. Nature/environment billboard Gore made a film to encourage Americans to care about what happens to our world. What could we do?

26. Nature/environment billboard Compose a short slogan that reminds Americans of one of the following: • The value of nature (or) • The importance of taking care of Earth • Draw the slogan billboard • Answer these questions on the back of the slogan billboard • Where should your billboard be placed? • Who needs to see your slogan? • What affect would you hope it would have?