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Romanticism. The Counter-Enlightenment Comes to America. Romanticism In Art. Look at the artwork presented in the following slides. What changes do you notice? . Puritan Art. More Puritan Art. Enlightenment Art. More Enlightenment Art. Enlightenment Art. Enlightenment Art.
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Romanticism The Counter-Enlightenment Comes to America
Romanticism In Art • Look at the artwork presented in the following slides. • What changes do you notice?
Emphasis on imagination, nature’s awe, mysteriousness, and the dark side of humanity characterize the era.
I. Historical Background • Early 19th century • Post industrial-revolution, the nation grows very prosperous • American population in a state of relative peace • Louisiana Purchase of 1803 more than doubles size of country – Americans in a state of awe. What happens when people get bored?
II. Principles • Age of Reason failed to fully explain human condition • Deists are wrong – humanity is not a machine because machines cannot feel • Logic leaves no room for emotion; Romantics saw man’s emotions as his most important element “O for a life of sensations rather than of thoughts!” Immanuel Kant
II. Principles (cont.) B. Age of Reason failed to fully explain God 1. Romantics believe they can feel God’s presence without proving it 2. Romantics perceive God in nature and believe human emotions discover him He is the true enchanter, whose spell operates, not upon the senses, but upon the imagination and the heart. Washington Irving
II. Principles (cont.) C. Man is neither in a state of depravation, nor a machine moving towards perfection. 1. Mankind possesses a dark side as well as a hopeful one. 2. Imagination’s role is to accentuate the fantastic aspects of human experience Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there, wondering, fearing, doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before. Poe
III. Romantic Literature • True birth of American fiction! • Novels, poems, and short stories replace sermons, essays, and speeches. • Literature often focuses on the unknown or mysterious (detective stories, horror, science fiction) • Predominate themes relate to death, war, evil, and the unexplainable elements of nature and faith.
Note: Mr. Bailey’s Favorite Author Was A Romantic • H.P. Lovecraft • 19th century American short story writer (one novel entitled At the Mountains of Madness) • Themes on ancient monsters and demons that sleep hidden on earth but long to be awakened. • Reflections on evil, zombies, aliens, and human violence.
In Conclusion: • Puritans: • Man is inherently corrupt and exists solely to give Glory to God and to pray for his forgiveness. • Age of Reason: • Man is inherently imperfect but can always improve and exists to use logic and reason to understand the world and improve it. • Romantics: • Man possesses both a good and an evil side, and his imagination and emotions are his most powerful ways of understanding the world.
IV. Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) The Raven
IV. Edgar Allan Poe • Poe’s artistic vision • The epitome of the Romantic era, Poe’s stories emphasize mystery, horror, and imagination. 2. Every single word in a piece of writing should be aimed at creating a single, vivid emotion.
Only 1 Novel Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pymm Tale of Antarctic exploration – no one had done it yet in the 19th century.
B. Life of Tragedy • Father abandons family, mother dies of tuburculosis • Adopted by Allan family; stepfather disowns him, stepmother dies of tuburculosis • Expelled from University of Virginia and Westpoint Military Academy
I’m a jerk! John Allan
Tuburculosismelts your lungs and eventually crushes your body.
4. Ends career in Baltimore a. First earns money as writer in Baltimore b. He falls in love with Virginia Clemm
4. In Baltimore (cont.) D. One day, she’s playing the piano and singing and starts coughing up blood. E. She had contracted Tuberculosis and dies a slow, painful death while Poe watches. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU9QGHGxgO0 Virginia’s only words that we have today – a song she wrote to Poe
5. Death a. Poe is found on the streets of Baltimore delirious b. Keeps yelling only one word: “Reynolds!” until finally saying, “Lord help my poor soul!” and dying. c. Absolutely no records of his death or hospital visit
His grave is in Baltimore, near the Hippodrome and about 5 blocks from Ravens stadium.
Poe Toaster Every year from 1949 - 2008, someone left roses and cognac on Poe’s grave on January 19th. Mysteriously stopped.
Baltimore named its football franchise after Poe and his work.
V. “The Raven” • Unnamed protagonist experiences the arrival of a Raven in the middle of the night. • Ultimate example of Romantic literature, the man’s imagination is consumed with darkness and fear. • Bird represents sorrow and pain, which can “nevermore” be forgotten or escaped. Poe knew about this firsthand.
VI. “Black Cat” • Picked on as a child, the unnamed protagonist is driven to alcoholism, madness, and murder • Cat largely symbolic of inner desire for “perverseness,” a Romantic value • Ironic ending: man destroyed by that which he first loves, then seeks to destroy • Poe’s reflection on dangers and darkness of alcoholism, which he personally experienced. • Unclear ending induces reader to determine meaning.
VII. “The Tell Tale Heart” • Unnamed protagonist tries to assert sanity by explaining circumstances of a grisly murder. • Like “Black Cat,” Poe uses “vulture eye” as symbol of man’s inclination towards “perverseness,” a Romantic value • Extensive use of dramatic irony: reader knows of insanity of unreliable narrator despite his denials of it. • Unclear ending induces reader to use imagination to determine meaning.
VIII. “Hop Frog” • Crippled dwarf exacts grisly revenge upon his captor and tormentor. • Written late in his career, “Hop Frog” is a subtle autobiographical text. • Protagonist is an outcast with no family to love him • Protagonist is tortured by alcohol and loneliness • Protagonist seeks revenge on his tormentor • Unlike Poe’s other murder tales, this one presents a protagonist for whom the reader feels sympathy. • Elements of perverseness demonstrate Romanticism
IX. “Pit and the Pendulum” • An unnamed protagonist is imprisoned by the Spanish inquisition and tortured • Unique among Poe stories • No supernatural elements • No murder or revenge • “Happy” ending • Emphasis on the senses and the reader’s ability to imagine the narrator’s predicament. • Story symbolically depicts someone contemplating suicide. Faced with unmentionable suffering or suicide, narrator chooses suffering; ultimately is rewarded for that choice.
Poe, Concluded • Each of the tales regards the perverse nature of the human heart and its inclination to kill or torture • Each of the tales ask readers to use their imagination extensively • Each of the tales utilizes symbolism and irony These are all qualities of Romantic literature, making Poe the epitome of the age.
X. The Devil and Tom Walker • Miserly man sells his soul to the devil in exchange for riches; he cannot escape his fate • Author Washington Irving uses a comic tone to mock America’s greed and hypocrisy • Ironically, Walker commits to churchgoing only after he has gained the devil’s riches, but acts no differently. • Displays Romantic qualities of fantasy and the dark side of humanity. • Mark 8:36: “What does it profit a man to gain the world, but forfeit his soul?”
Romanticism, Concluded • Imagination and emotion most important human qualities. • Man has a dark and perverse side that cannot be explained by logic and reason • Emotions and imagination can help humanity find God • There are many things in this world that humanity cannot and can never understand • FICTION in America is born.
