RomanticsLeaving Science behind and heading to Nature in search

of truth.

Romanticism

• Is the opposite of the Age of Reason in many ways.

• Writers began to create fiction pieces for the first time.

• Not a “true” unique and American Literature though. That would have to wait until 1840.

• Many of the best stories were Americanized versions of other culture’s tales.

Different Approaches

• Rip Van Winkle– Heads towards

Nature– Lazy– poor

• Ben Franklin– Heads towards city– Extremely

productive– rich

3 Focuses

• The period was a collection of many different styles all focused on the power of our imagination.

• Mind– think of the Gothic tales of EAP

• History– Think of JFC’s Leatherstocking Tales

• Nature– Fireside Poets including Longfellow and Bryant

The Romantics believed:

• That rational thought or REASON was inferior to truths we could obtain with INTUITION.– What truths cannot be proven with science?

• “For the Romantics, the imagination, spontaneity, individual feelings, and nature were of greater value than reason, logic, planning, and cultivation.”

POETRY

• Poetry was the highest work of the imagination for the Romantics.

• They valued the lessons from poetry as much as Ben Franklin valued his science.

From the text. . .

• “The Romantic sensibility sought to rise above dull realities to a realm of higher truth.”

• Explore an exotic setting in the more “natural” past or in a world removed from the industrialization of their time

• Observe this world until “dull reality” faded away and Nature reveals beauty and truth to us.

The Romantic Novel