AMERICAN LITERATURE

ROMANTICISM PERIOD AUTHORS (1800-1860)

Washington Irving (1783-1859)

Washington Irving

A. The Sketch Book (1819) – first collection of short stories by an American author – includes “Rip Van Winkle” and “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow”

B. “The Devil and Tom Walker” (published later)

C. Father of American Literature and of short stories

D. Stories based on legends and folklore

1. “RVW” is a NY/Dutch legend/folktale that involves American materials

James Fenimore Cooper (1789-1851)

James Fenimore CooperA. The Leatherstocking Tales (5 novels): 1. The Deerslayer (1841)– Romantic hero

known as Deerslayer or Natty Bumpo—the first American Romantic heroa. Current day Romantic heroes: Lone Ranger, Superman, Luke Skywalker, Indiana

Jones 2. The Last of the Mohicans (1826)– Natty is

‘Hawkeye’ in this one 3. The Pathfinder (1840) 4. The Pioneers (1823) 5. The Prairie (1827)

James Fenimore Cooper

B. Cooper’s Formula for a successful novel

1. Brave hero

2. Loyal Indian companion

3. Encounter with danger

4. Danger as a test of strength

5. Last-minute rescue (or escape)

James Fenimore Cooper

C. First American Novelist? (some consider Charles Brockden Brown to be the first)

D. Novels & stories about Indians were unique to U.S.

William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878)

William Cullen BryantA. “Thanatopsis”

1. ‘didactic’ poem – poem intended to instruct/teach

2. ‘Thanatopsis’ means ‘a view of death’

i. Bryant wants you to live your life and when it is time to die, accept death and die

peacefully

ii. Mutability – all things change and die

B. “To a Waterfowl”

C. Wrote most of his poems when he was 14-17 yrs.—his best ones were written when he was young

William Cullen Bryant

D. Father of American Poetry – first writer to

make a living by poetry

E. Concerned with humanitarian reform

1. Abolitionist

2. Elevated nature to a ‘religion’

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

A. Most popular American Poet of the 19th century

B. Fireside Poets

1. James Russell Lowell

2. Oliver Wendell Holmes

3. John Greenleaf Whittier

4. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

C. Didactic poems

(i.e., they teach something)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

D. Opening lines of “Evangeline” – “This is the forest primeval [ . . . ]”

E. Tales of a Wayside Inn (poems) – book length

“Paul Revere’s Ride” – most famous tale

F. Song of the Hiawatha (poem – book length)

G. Most popular poet in the world in his lifetime

“Paul Revere’s Ride” by Longfellow

Listen my children and you shall hearOf the midnight ride of Paul Revere,On the eighteenth of April, in Seventy-five;Hardly a man is now aliveWho remembers that famous day and year.

He said to his friend, "If the British marchBy land or sea from the town to-night,Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry archOf the North Church tower as a signal light,--One if by land, and two if by sea;And I on the opposite shore will be,Ready to ride and spread the alarmThrough every Middlesex village and farm,For the country folk to be up and to arm.“ [ . . . ]

John Greenleaf Whittier (1807-1892)

Former Whittier home in Amesbury, Mass.

John Greenleaf Whittier

A. Snowbound (long poem)

B. Abolitionist

C. Quaker

D. The Atlantic Monthly – he founded this magazine

E. One of the fireside poets

Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809-1894)

U.S.S. Constitution

Oliver Wendell Holmes

A. “Old Ironsides” – signed it with an “H”

B. Helped found The Atlantic Monthly

C. Light verse – humorous poetry – he wrote some of this

James Russell Lowell (1809-1894)

James Russell Lowell

• One of the “fireside poets” - called this because families often read them in the evening by the fireside (also, these poets were widely taught in early American schools)