Romantic Periodof

American Literature

4 Characteristics of Romantic Lit.• The Distant: Remote settings of time and

location• Nature: description of beauty, escape from

society • Individualism: person/human has complete

power, individual is center of focus• Imagination: use of the supernatural

Sub-Categories of RomanticismSub-Categories of Romanticism

• Romantics: focus on freedom of Romantics: focus on freedom of expression and imaginationexpression and imagination• Washington Irving, Emily DickinsonWashington Irving, Emily Dickinson

• Dark Romantics: focus on supernatural Dark Romantics: focus on supernatural and complexities of death/afterworldand complexities of death/afterworld• Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel HawthorneEdgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne

• Transcendentalists: focus on nature and Transcendentalists: focus on nature and renewing power of naturerenewing power of nature• Transcend = to move beyond/to be superiorTranscend = to move beyond/to be superior• Henry Thoreau, Ralph Emerson, Walt WhitmanHenry Thoreau, Ralph Emerson, Walt Whitman

Major WorksMajor Works

Washington Irving: “Rip Van Winkle” and Washington Irving: “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

Emily Dickinson: Emily Dickinson: The Complete PoemsThe Complete Poems Edgar Allan Poe: “The Raven” and “The Edgar Allan Poe: “The Raven” and “The

Masque of the Red Death”Masque of the Red Death” Henry Thoreau: “Walden”Henry Thoreau: “Walden” Ralph Emerson: “Nature”Ralph Emerson: “Nature”

Historical Context

• 1800s • Westward Expansion: Gold Rush• Division of North and South due to

industrialization and slavery issues• Immigration on a large scale (5

million Europeans from 1815-1860)• Technology advances: railroads,

telegraphs, steel plow, reaping machine