American RomanticismAmerican RomanticismTraitsTraits

Valued poetry because allowed one to use Valued poetry because allowed one to use imaginationimagination

Preferred youthful innocence over Preferred youthful innocence over educated sophisticationeducated sophistication

Looked to past for wisdom & distrusted Looked to past for wisdom & distrusted progressprogress

Found truth & beauty in: exotic locations, Found truth & beauty in: exotic locations, supernatural, & world of imagination.supernatural, & world of imagination.

Found inspiration in myths, legends, & Found inspiration in myths, legends, & folk culturefolk culture

Historical ConnectionHistorical Connection

Industrial Revolution- towns & cities Industrial Revolution- towns & cities coming up & crime followedcoming up & crime followed

Expansion North to cities which left Expansion North to cities which left farming communities struggling & farming communities struggling & bad for slave ownersbad for slave owners

Expansion Westward beganExpansion Westward began More technology like cotton gins, More technology like cotton gins,

railroads, telegraphs, etc. with the railroads, telegraphs, etc. with the rise of Industrial Revolutionrise of Industrial Revolution

Philosophies/BeliefsPhilosophies/Beliefs

Nature held truths to the questions & Nature held truths to the questions & problems of lifeproblems of life

Valued feelings & intuition over Valued feelings & intuition over reason (follow your heart & not your reason (follow your heart & not your head)head)

Live & let liveLive & let live

Authors & LiteratureAuthors & Literature

Washington Irving – “The Devil and Washington Irving – “The Devil and Tom Walker,” “,The Legend of Sleepy Tom Walker,” “,The Legend of Sleepy Hollow,” and “Rip Van Winkle” Hollow,” and “Rip Van Winkle”

William Cullen Bryant – William Cullen Bryant – “Thanatopsis” & “To a Water Fowl”“Thanatopsis” & “To a Water Fowl”

Harriet Beecher Stowe – Harriet Beecher Stowe – Uncle Tom’s Uncle Tom’s CabinCabin

Literary termsLiterary terms

SatireSatire – literature that exposes the – literature that exposes the vices or follies of people or society to vices or follies of people or society to bring awareness and change.bring awareness and change.

Tall tale Tall tale – literature that is humorous – literature that is humorous & contain wild exaggerations and is & contain wild exaggerations and is not intended to be believable. not intended to be believable. Usually the heroes are bold but Usually the heroes are bold but sometimes foolish characters that sometimes foolish characters that may have super human abilites.may have super human abilites.

Literary termsLiterary terms

ThemeTheme – central message of a work – central message of a work of literature that readers can apply to of literature that readers can apply to life.life.

MoodMood – emotional quality or – emotional quality or atmosphere created by tone, diction, atmosphere created by tone, diction, rhyme, rhythm, and settingrhyme, rhythm, and setting

ToneTone – author’s attitude toward – author’s attitude toward subject matter and is conveyed subject matter and is conveyed through diction, punctuation, through diction, punctuation, sentence structure, & figures of sentence structure, & figures of speechspeech

PlotPlot – chain of events in a drama or – chain of events in a drama or narrative work of narrative work of fiction. fiction. ((exposition, rising action, climax, exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, and denouementfalling action, and denouement))