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    Characteristics of American Literature During Romanticism

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    Celeste
    During the Romantic period in American literature, writers were inspired by imagination, nature, and individualism. They sought escape from the industrialized cities through fanciful stories set in rural landscapes. Notable works included Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's novels. American authors also began writing about the common man's daily struggles and issues like slavery in novels such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Overall, Romanticism allowed American literature to develop its own identity and address social issues through a new, revolutionary lens.

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    Characteristics of American Literature During Romanticism

    Uploaded by

    Celeste
    88 views5 pages
    During the Romantic period in American literature, writers were inspired by imagination, nature, and individualism. They sought escape from the industrialized cities through fanciful stories set in rural landscapes. Notable works included Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's novels. American authors also began writing about the common man's daily struggles and issues like slavery in novels such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Overall, Romanticism allowed American literature to develop its own identity and address social issues through a new, revolutionary lens.

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    During the Romantic period in American literature, writers were inspired by imagination, nature, and individualism. They sought escape from the industrialized cities through fanciful stories set in rural landscapes. Notable works included Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's novels. American authors also began writing about the common man's daily struggles and issues like slavery in novels such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Overall, Romanticism allowed American literature to develop its own identity and address social issues through a new, revolutionary lens.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    88 views5 pages

    Characteristics of American Literature During Romanticism

    Uploaded by

    Celeste
    During the Romantic period in American literature, writers were inspired by imagination, nature, and individualism. They sought escape from the industrialized cities through fanciful stories set in rural landscapes. Notable works included Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and Nathaniel Hawthorne's novels. American authors also began writing about the common man's daily struggles and issues like slavery in novels such as Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin." Overall, Romanticism allowed American literature to develop its own identity and address social issues through a new, revolutionary lens.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Download as docx, pdf, or txt
    of 5

    Characteristics of American Literature during Romanticism

    Romanticism became such a powerful movement in literature because it inspired freedom, some

    sort of revvoution in the form of art and words plastered into paper. American Literature had a

    very specific sort of theme:

    Imagination

    The Industrial Revolution had just brought progress and optimism. This same progress brought

    the North to over 21 million citizen. Cities became the center of industrialization, they were

    overpopulated, dirty and just chaotic, so it can be said that people wanted to scape. Escapism

    began like this;authors developed imaginary places in the countryside wth almost unrealistic

    places.

    Washington Irving, who's known as the father of American literature, wrote a story called 'Rip

    Van Winkle,' which is about a man who wanders out into the woods to escape some chores his

    wife is asking him to do. After falling asleep for twenty years in the woods, he not only escapes

    his chores but his wife as well because she's dead. This fanciful escape is typical during this

    time.

    The Romantic Period in American Literature


    This is something that s still being revreated in topian books,and movies that wish to transport

    people from their rutinary life.

    Individuality, Not only was everyone migrating and finding their own , new land but as a country

    America also wanted to feel more independent from Europe.Americans start making their own

    rules and writing about their own issues and needs.

    Nature, because of the overpopulation in big cities, nature became idealized by everyone. It

    seemed that natre was nspiring and sometimes associated with spirituality.

    Because of the still existing influence of Europe over America, common man was also started to

    e viewed as an important piece of a puzzle and not just another dot. Common , ordinary en where

    starting in novels, and poems were about the daily strugges being faced by men.

    Some novels written during romantim that still impact American Literature , and literature as a

    whole
    Moby Dick by Herman Melville. A novel that takes people out of the ordinary and into the sea

    were Capttain Ahab and his obsession to find a white whale, lead him into a whole adventure to

    the sea.

    Harriet Beecher Stowes novel "Uncle Tom's Cabin" (1852) is an antislavery novel that became

    an bestseller rinmdiatly. The novel tells the story about three slaves and the injustices that were

    committed during this time. This was also America's "first protest novel." The novel was a cry

    after slavery to end.

    The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper. (1826) depicts Hawkeye and the

    Mohicans, against the backdrop of the French and Indian War. Although popular at the time of

    its publication, the novel has been criticized in more recent years for overly romanticizing and

    stereotyping the Native American experience.

    Other stories were: Washington Irving, essays, sketches, satire The Sketchbook, The

    Knickerbocker Tales, "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," "Rip Van Winkle"

    Nathaniel Hawthorne, fiction The Scarlet Letter, House of Seven Gables,

    "Rappacini's Daughter. "Young Goodman Brown

    Edgar Allen Poe, poetry, fiction, criticism "The Philosophy of Composition," "The

    Raven," "Ligeia," "The Fall of the House of Usher"

    Harriet Ann Jacobs, autobiography Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl


    Lydia Maria Child, poetry, fiction, essays "Slavery's Pleasant Homes" (1843)

    History, current events, and social events have influenced American Literature. Authors, their

    literary works, and the specific writing styles; are affected and influenced by the world around

    them. Authors have long used experiences they have lived through and/or taken out of history to

    help shape and express in their works. Writing styles are also affected by the current trends and

    opinions of the period they represent. By reading American Literature, we have seen the

    inhumane treatment of slaves, we have seen the destruction caused by wars, and we have seen

    the devastation of eras such as The Great Depression.

    Influence of American History on Literature Essay

    As it can be induced from every writing piece, the American romanticism in America revolved

    quite a lot around utopian ideals , gthicism, nature spirituality , equality, native history, etc. It

    wished to give America its own literary identity. Which was accomplished through their personal

    battles and social issues. It is surely marked by the freedom from authorities and sets couse to a

    new way of thinking.

    The genre of "Gothic Literature" emerged as the darkest form of Dark Romanticism in its

    extreme expressions of self-destruction and sin involving sheer terror, personal torment, graphic
    morbidity, madness, and the supernatural. Edgar Allan Poe wrote some of the finest macabre

    tales in this genre. Other prominent authors of the genre include Mary Shelley, Bram Stoker,

    "Satan has his companions, fellow-devils, to admire and encourage him; but I am solitary and

    abhorred."

    -- Frankenstein (chapter 15) by Mary Shelley

    Conclusion

    The 01800s was a time of chang and revolution for America, slaves started to speak out,

    industrialized cities grew bigger every day, and as a country, it felt the need to find its own

    identity and stop relying on Europea behaviors. This was when Rmanticism started spreading

    across Europe, this gave America the perfect timing to redirect and change every structure

    wanted. And that was how literature was modified, everything felt revolutionary, utopian,

    independent from other genres. And even nowadays this same novels has an influence on todays

    literary genres. considering they were the basis and roots for modern day American Literature

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