American Romanticism

1. American Romanticism J. Schwartz English III Fall 2013

2. Background Information • Literary period in the U.S. spanning from 1800-1860. • Remember, The Romantic Period coincides with the Transcendentalist movement. • Romantics value: • Emotion over intellect • The individual over society • Imagination , inspiration, intuition • Exotic locales, supernatural realms • Poetry as the highest expression of the imagination • The American Romantic hero is youthful, innocent, intuitive, close to nature, and uneasy around women.

3. Major Themes of Romanticism • Alienation • Restorative Power of Nature • Purity of Nature • Nature Held in Awe • Simplicity • Rejection of Authority

4. Free Write – 15 points • If you had to classify yourself as either a rationalist or a Romantic, which would you be? Would you be a practical, ambitious, worldly Benjamin Franklin or an intuitive, close-to-nature Romantic? Which traits- of either school of thought- do you truly value and think you would like to encourage in your own life? • Free write an explanation of your thoughts on this issue. Remember to ORGANIZE your ideas!

5. Washington Irving (1783-1859) • Often called the “father of American literature.” • Made American literature legitimate • Enjoyed his literary fame • Best known works: • Knickerbocker’s History of New York • The Sketch Book (contains stories like “Rip Van Winkle” and “A Legend of Sleepy Hollow”) • Irving found inspiration in folklore and legend • First American writer to incorporate a comic hero into his writing • Irving’s writing marks a transition to a darker Romanticism, one that deals with questions in the human heart.

6. Literary Devices in “Rip Van Winkle” • Satire: A technique which uses wit and humor to ridicule a subject, usually some social institution or human fault, often with the intention to inspire reform. • Tone: The perspective or attitude that the author adopts with regard to a specific character, place, or development. • Frame Story: The result of inserting one or more small stories within the body of a larger story that encompasses the smaller ones.

7. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) • Father of the Detective novel and a forerunner of science fiction. • Largely unknown during his lifetime, but now retains a firm, legendary place in popular culture. • Suffered a great deal of tragedy in personal life. • According to Poe, the best writing should be brief, with each word and expression chosen for maximum effect.

8. Dark Romanticism • American variant of Romanticism (Poe, Hawthorne, Melville, Dickinson). • Themes of DR are often reversals of Romantic themes: • Psychological issues vs. emotional, physical issues • Hidden recesses of the mind • Excesses of individualism- neurotic focus on the self. • Elements of the supernatural: ghosts, demons, etc. • Death and decay vs. life and exuberance

9. Literary Devices and themes in “The Raven” (1845) • Rhyme • Alliteration • Imagery • Repetition • Atmosphere (mood) • Onomatopoeia • Tone • Symbolism • Madness • Beauty and grief

10. Literary Devices and Themes in “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1839) • Foreshadowing • Atmosphere • Allegory • Madness • Human destiny and its terrors • Isolation • Failure to adapt

11. Herman Melville (1819-1891) • Born into a merchant family in New York. • Experienced at sea. • Along with Twain’s Huck Finn, Moby Dick is considered to be one of the most important American literary works of the 19th century. • Nathaniel Hawthorne was a close, personal friend.

12. Literary Devices and Themes in “Bartleby the Scrivener” (1853) • Characterization • Allegory • Non-conformity • Death • Comedy in tragedy • Charity • Emerging American life

13. “Bartleby” Quiz- Pages 5-12 (10 points) ANSWER EACH QUESTION COMPLETELY- BE SPECIFIC! • How does the narrator feel about Bartleby? • What does the narrator realize about Bartleby’s living situation? • What does the narrator decide to do with Bartleby? • Extra Credit: What does the narrator find in Bartleby’s desk?

14. Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) • Born into a wealthy family and received an advanced education- rare for a woman in this time period. • Becomes very isolated in 1853 (age 23). • After father’s death in 1874, Dickinson almost never leaves the house. • Her Isolation and Her Work • Isolation due to romantic disappointments? • Can’t make assumptions based upon gender.

15. Themes and Techniques in Dickinson’s Poetry • Themes • Techniques

16. Critical Thinking Questions • Choose one of Dickinson’s poems and discuss the importance of slant rhyme, telegraphic fragments, or metaphor. Explain how the literary device functions in the poem. • Choose another of Dickinson’s poems and discuss how one of her themes (Truth, Time and Eternity, Permanence and Decay, or Homilies) function in the poem and illuminate it.

17. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) • Born in NYC, the setting of a great deal of his poetry. • Worked as a printer, journalist, teacher. • Began writing poetry at age 36. • Leaves of Grass published in 1855 and continually revised.

18. Themes and Techniques in Whitman’s Poetry • Themes • Connection of all people • Value and power of individuals • Contradiction • Pure joy associated with being alive • Techniques • Free Verse • Alliteration • Assonance • Imagery • Onomatopoeia • Parallel Structure • Cadence

19. Critical Thinking Questions • Choose one of Whitman’s poems and discuss how one of his themes is brought to life, how it illuminates the poem, and how it contributes to his meaning. • In Whitman’s other poem discuss the importance of one of his techniques. Explain how the literary device functions in the poem.