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American Romanticism. Founded on Deism - belief in the existence of a god on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation Logic Inalienable rights. It also brought Industrialization, growth of cities, and factories
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Founded on • Deism - belief in the existence of a god on the evidence of reason and nature only, with rejection of supernatural revelation • Logic • Inalienable rights It also brought • Industrialization, growth of cities, and factories • American expansion (Lewis and Clark and Manifest Destiny) • More encounters with Native Americans Albert Bierstadt
Romanticism: a reaction to the Age of Reason Romanticism Age of Reason • Realism • Patrician Classicism • Dominion over the Native American • Logic, always facts to counter fear and doubt • Idealism/Utopia • Glorification of the common man • Recognition of the nobility of the primitive – the “noble savage” • Imagination to engender faith and hope
Characteristics of Romanticism • Contemplating nature’s beauty is the path to spiritual and moral development. • Values feeling and intuition over reason • Looks backward to the wisdom of the past, shuns progress
The City was a Place of . . . • The Rationalists saw the city as a place of industry, success, self realization, and civilization. • The Romantics saw the city as a place of poor work conditions, moral ambiguity, corruption, and death.
The Journey Romanticism was often seen as a journey. • The journey from the city to the country • The journey from rational thought to the imagination
The Fireside Poets The Most Popular American Poets of Their Time John Greenleaf Whittier, William Cullen Bryant, James Lowell, Oliver Wendell Holmes • Their poems were often read aloud at the fireside as family entertainment. • Themes: love, patriotism, nature, family, and religion • It is poetry that seeks a higher truth from the natural world. The Fireside poets were the first group of American poets to rival British poets in popularity in either country.
Literature American Novel - The Romantic Hero Youthful Pure of Purpose Sense of Honor – not based on society’s rules but a higher principle Intuitive Understanding (not formal learning) Loves nature and avoids town life Quests for higher truth in the natural world Modern day examples: Superman, Luke Skywalker, Indiana Jones
Literature ***American Novelists looked to westward expansion and the frontier for inspiration creating a break with European tradition. ***Folktales by regional writers offered glimpses of the supernatural
Satire: copy what is underlined Washington Irving was a master of satire, a literary device in which people, customs, or institutions are ridiculed with the purpose of improving society. Washington Irving 1783-1859 Satire is often subtle, so as you read, watch for its indicators: humor, exaggeration, absurd situations, and irony.