The Romantic Period in American Literature 1820 – 1860.
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Transcript of The Romantic Period in American Literature 1820 – 1860.
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The Romantic Period in American
Literature1820 – 1860
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• Dark Romantics: Characters were haunted, alienated individuals; mood: dark and foreboding; themes: exploration of the hidden recesses of the soul; motifs: nature is dangerous, forbidden; fascination with the supernatural
• Transcendental Romantics: In tune with the optimism of the growing nation; valued the beauty of nature, solitude, nonconformity, and the individual
Poe!Two kinds of Romantics
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Edgar Allan Poe (1809 – 1849)
• Legends and untruths• Troubled childhood
• Father left; mother died; taken in by the Allan family
• College, gambling problems, and family turmoil • 1827 – publishes Tamerlane and Other Poems• Expelled from school • Barely supports self as magazine editor in New York, Baltimore,
Richmond• Lived in poverty despite success of “The Raven” and short stories• Depression, madness
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Poe’s mysterious death
• Wife Virginia died at 24; Poe died two years later• No one really knows how Poe died, though there are
many theories• On his way to Philadelphia to edit a book of poetry, Poe
fell ill and was taken to the hospital; he was unconscious and dressed in strange clothing; he died days later
Quoth the Raven
“Nevermore.”
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Poe’s stories and poetry • Regarded as brilliant, original• Exploration of the dark side of human nature: wickedness, death, guilt,
revenge, fear• “The Cask of Amontillado,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” “The Raven,” and
“Annabel Lee” • Altered American literature • Gothic literature: bleak, remote settings; violent incidents; characters in
psychological torment; supernatural elements; strong language with dangerous meanings• Poe’s “single effect”: fear and disturbing ambiguity about what is real
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Reading Poe
• Break down long sentences/paraphrase – Poe uses long sentences, ornate diction, and detailed descriptions, which all contribute to the “single effect” of his story. Pause to make sure you understand, and re-read if needed. Read once for basic understanding, twice to clarify, and a third time to analyze. • Pause to annotate, summarize, and
interpret.
Poe!
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“The Cask of Amontillado” • Catacombs – much of the
action of the story takes place in the catacombs of Italy; these are underground tunnels often beneath family homes used to bury the dead; • Amontillado – a kind of wine• Carnival – an Italian festival
dating back centuries that involves revelers wearing masks, day and night celebrations
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Irony – a contradiction between appearance and reality• This story relies heavily on irony for its
creepiness. • Situational – when something happens that
contradicts the expectations of the reader or a character; when the events are ironic• Dramatic – when a character’s understanding
is substantially different from the audience’s understanding • Verbal – when what someone says in ironic • Irony is often used to add humor to a scene.
Poe uses irony to add darkness, drama, and tragedy to his story. Examine dialogue, setting, and action for use of irony.
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“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore— While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.‘’Tis some visitor,’I muttered, ‘tapping at my chamber door— Only this and nothing more.’”
From “The Raven”
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From Reason to Romanticism in literature• The emphasis on reason is evident in early
American works (Benjamin Franklin, Patrick Henry).
• America is both expanding and dividing (westward, slavery).
• Around the 1820s, Romanticism, which focuses on individualism and concerns of the heart, begins to emerge. We shift from reason to emotion.
• The Romantic works were not love stories but were serious novels, stories, and essays.
• Two kinds of Romantics: dark and Transcendental
Romantic isn’t romant
ic
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Ivan Shishkin, 1891, The Forest of Countess Mordvinova
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How about these?
Inferences:
and Cole Thomas The Voyage of Life: Youth 1842
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• Dark Romantics: Characters were haunted, alienated individuals; mood: dark and foreboding; themes: exploration of the hidden recesses of the soul; motifs: nature is dangerous, forbidden; fascination with the supernatural
• Transcendental Romantics: In tune with the optimism of the growing nation; valued the beauty of nature, solitude, nonconformity, and the individual
Poe!Two kinds of Romantics
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Carnival, catacombs