Dark Romantic Works

1. Edgar Allan Poe Nathaniel Hawthorne Dark Romantic Works

2. Edgar Allan Poe • Endured a troubled childhood—his father abandoned him, and his mother died shortly after. • He was unofficially adopted by the family of John Allan, a wealthy Virginia merchant. • Put him through school, but broke ties when Edgar was expelled from the United States Military Academy at West Point

3. He pursued a literary career in New York, Richmond, Philadelphia, and Baltimore, writing and working as an editor for several magazines. • After his third attempt at poetry failed to bring him money or acclaim, Poe began writing short stories.

4. Although his short stories gained him some recognition, and his poem “The Raven” was a hit, Edgar never escaped from poverty. • He suffered from depression and madness, and then two years after the death of his wife, Virginia, he died.

5. Poe is widely accepted as the inventor of the detective story. • His work has been translated into nearly every language, and dozens of film adaptations have been made of his stories. • Scholars have celebrated his use of vivid imagery and sound effects, as well as his exploration of altered mental states and the dark side of human nature.

6. American Gothic • Gothic style is characterized by: • The story is set in bleak or remote places. • The plot involves violent incidents. • Characters are in psychological and/or physical torment. • A supernatural or otherworldly element is often present.

7. Nathaniel Hawthorne • Sometimes referred to as an Anti-Transcendentalist because he found it impossible to accept an optimistic worldview. • His writings reflected an overwhelming sense of guilt that he carried because of his ancestors who were part of the Salem witch trails.

8. His most famous masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, a powerful novel about sin and guilt among early Puritans, earned him international fame.

9. Literary Analysis • A parable is a simple, usually brief, story that teaches a moral lesson. • Unlike the fable which features animal characters, a parable features human beings. • An allegory is a type of parable that has both a literal and a symbolic meaning. • A symbol is something that has meaning in itself while also standing for something greater.

10. Reading Strategy • Drawing Inferences: • When the message of a work of fiction is conveyed indirectly the reader must draw inferences, or conclusions, by looking closely at details, especially description and dialogue. • Making an educated prediction about the story through use of context clues, background knowledge, and your own personal experiences.