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Unit II: Romanticism. Colonial literature Puritanism – Belief that man is inherently evil. Only the divine mercy of God will allow them into Heaven. Rationalism- Humans can use their own reasoning; they do not need God to figure out their own solutions to their own problems.
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Unit II: Romanticism • Colonial literature • Puritanism – Belief that man is inherently evil. Only the divine mercy of God will allow them into Heaven. • Rationalism-Humans can use their own reasoning; they do not need God to figure out their own solutions to their own problems. • Deism- People do not need God’s help. They are capable of caring for themselves. People need reasoning to get through life – not God’s divine guidance.
Birth of Romanticism • Began in Europe, affecting art, music, and literature • Reaction against rationalism • Also reaction to Industrial Revolution • over-crowded, crime-ridden cities • wretched working conditions • Spread to American post Revolutionary War
Characteristics of American Romanticism • Values feeling and intuition over reason • Places faith in inner experience and the power of the imagination • Shuns the artificiality of civilization and seeks unspoiled nature • Prefers youthful innocence to educated sophistication • Champions freedom and the worth of the individual
Characteristics of American Romanticism • Contemplates nature’s beauty as a path to spiritual and moral development • Looks backward to the wisdom of the past and distrusts progress • Finds beauty and truth in exotic locales, the supernatural realm, and the inner world of the imagination • Sees poetry as the highest expression of the imagination • Finds inspiration in myth, legend, and folk culture
Escaping reality • The Journey to the countryside/nature • Find moral clarity, healthful living, independence, and imagination • Reveal underlying beauty and truth
Romantic Hero • Exemplified by James Fenimore Cooper’s Natty Bumpo (The Last of the Mohicans) • Characteristics • Young or has youthful qualities • Innocent or pure of heart • Has a sense of honor not based on society’s rules—based on a higher principle • Not necessarily formally educated—still has deep, intuitive understanding of people and life • Loves nature—avoids towns/cities • Quest for some higher truth in natural world
Romantic Poetry/Fireside Poets • Movement in American poetry to prove that Americans were sophisticated—could also write poetry • Devoted to European/English poetic traditions of meter, rhythm, imagery, and theme • Fireside Poets: Longfellow, Whittier, Holmes, and Lowell • Poetry read aloud by families by fireplace—“fireside” • Subject matter: Patriotism, Love/family, Nature, God/religion
AMERICAN LITERATURE (Beginning to 1860) The American Renaissance