Transcript American Romanticism

“THE CHARACTERISTIC JOURNEY OF THE
NINETEENTH CENTURY IS THE JOURNEY
AWAY FROM THE CITY TO THE WORLD OF
NATURE”
American Romanticism
What is Romanticism?
 It is not single thing- difficult to define
 A name given to a school of thought that considers
the rational inferior to the intuitive
 Imagination, spontaneity, individual feelings and
nature were of greater value than reason, logic,
planning and cultivation
 A reaction against rationalism
Romanticism
 A movement that began in Europe developing
distinct American characteristics out of our colonial
past and the development of a new nation
 Romantic sensibility sought to rise above “dull
realities”:
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Explored exotic settings, both past and present
Contemplated the natural world
Countryside
 Independence
 Straightforward moral certainty
 Health
 The idea of the frontier takes on great importance.
 This geography of the imagination-town, country,
frontier- played a powerful role in American
literature and life, and it continues to do so today.
Values
 The city was a place of moral ambiguity and
corruption and death
 The countryside became associated with
independence, straightforward moral certainty, and
health
 This geography of the imagination-town, country,
frontier-played a powerful role in American
literature and life, and it continues to do so today.
Characteristics of the Romantic Hero
 A romantic hero must possess an understanding of
his inner-self or inner-world.
 He must also understand the value of his
experiences through emotions, intuition, and
feelings rather than logically reasoning.
 The audience must also be able to emotionally
connect with the romantic hero on some level of
emotion so that no matter the experience of the
hero, the audience will relate to his experiences.
 sophisticated, mysterious, and a bit
dangerous.
 a moody rebel, who can be very arrogant.
 attractive to women who are drawn to his
complicated personality, hidden
conflicts, and secret past.
 drawn to nature and filled
with intuition.
 reject the standard guidelines
of society and adhere to their
own code of morality and justice.
NOTE:
 We are NOT talking about
Romantic as in Romantic
Love
 We are talking about
Romantic as is from
Roman Times
Rip Van Winkle
 Depicts the escape from the constraints of civilization
 Differences between Romanticism and rationalism-
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Rip vs Ben Franklin
Rip is an anti-Franklin figure- a do-nothing rather
than a do-gooder
He has no ambition
He would rather “starve on a penny than work for a
pound”
His wife’s nagging sends him to the mountains to
escape
Watch for traits of the Romantic
Hero in the character of Rip!
Archetype
AN ARCHETYPE IS AN ORIGINAL
OR FUNDAMENTAL
IMAGINATIVE PATTERN THAT
IS REPEATED THROUGH THE
AGES.
An archetype can be a plot, an event, a character,
a setting, or an object.
Literary Focus: Mood
 Mood– the overall feeling or atmosphere of a
story, play, or poem– may be the most difficult
literary element to define.
 After all, mood is intangible; you can’t point to
mood in a text
 It’s all about feeling
 In order to identify a story’s mood, start with
the setting.
 Pay close attention to the details of time and
place, and ask yourself how the setting
makes you feel.
 Look carefully at the writer’s word choice.
For example: is a tree rotting or budding?
 Then, consider the plot
Does it end happily, or does
is present a bitter or tragic
outlook on life?