The Romantic PeriodLauren Harmon and Emily Simpson

In America Romanticism began in Germany, and

soon spread to England and France, finally reaching America.

It was nicknamed the “American Renaissance”

In England: Historical Influences The Romantic Era began with the William

Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads and ended with the death of Charles Dickens

Queen Victoria was in power Influenced by American and French Revolutions Reduced confidence in British power Grief was expressed through writing Both of these occurrences made the English

think a Revolution could happen in their own country.

In England: Historical Influences Age of the Romantic Movement (1798-1832) Began with the publication of Wordsworth's

Lyrical Ballads, and ends with the death of Walter Scott.

Dominated by works of Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, etc.

Same time as the Napoleonic wars.

In England: Historical Influences Early Victorian Age (1832-1870) Most major romantics had died by this time Poetry began to reveal social issues and uncertainties Industrial Revolution in Europe Went from manual labor to machinery Caused the rise of the middle class Living conditions in cities were poor Workers had no right to vote, and they were not

allowed to meet in groups The government suspected a subtle protest, resulting

in the Peterloo Massacre in St. Peter’s field Major romantics were Tennyson, Arnold, Dickens, etc.

In America: Historical Influences The War of 1812 The Gold Rush Westward Expansion The population grew from seven million in 1810

to thirty million just fifty year later. Using recent inventions, such as the sewing

machine, the cotton gin, the assembly line, and the telegraph.

The first woman’s college in Massachusetts. Anti-slavery newspapers and societies were

created. In this time, abolitionist books were written, such as Uncle Tom’s Cabin.

In England: Values and Beliefs Religion was inspired by the French Revolution The Higher Criticism was a movement that

encouraged prophetic texts influenced by the Bible, which were extremely common

People began supporting the freedom to express yourself through writing and art during this time; direct effects of the Enlightenment.

In America: Values and Beliefs Two contradicting bodies of religious thought were

quickly forming in the American Romantic Period. The Great Awakening, a mass religious revival helped to maintain the original Trinitarianism.

However, some people were beginning to feel unfulfilled. People tried to think for themselves, using less rational thought. They became more intuitive and relied on imagination moreso than logic.

Individualism was emphasized. Prior to this era, “self” suggested selfishness. It was redefined as positive to focus on oneself.

In America: Values and Beliefs Before Romanticism came to the light,

conformity was normal. During this era, however, people began to speak out for themselves in favor of democracy and against slavery.

Man began to appreciate nature and its fragility. People saw the world as living and dynamic; not mechanic as they had before.

In England: Genre and Style Poetry was the major style of writing, however,

political pamphlets, reviews, and nonfiction novels were also popular.

Some poets thought personal emotion and imagination were among the most effective tools in writing poetry.

Nature was a major topic.

In America: Genre and Style Traditional forms of literature were exchanged

for emotion, expression, and imagination. This was a revolt against classicism, and a

struggle to break free from its restraints. The “manifest destiny” provoked more nature

works. Authors began to realize the beauty and freedom of the landscape.

This era took on a more optimistic tone in literature.

Significant Authors and Works in England

William Blake (1757-1827) Jerusalem (1804), Songs of Innocence and of

Experience (1789) William Wordsworth (1770-1850)

Lyrical Ballads (anonymous publication 1798), The Prelude (published after death)

Jane Austen (1775-1817) -Pride and Prejudice (1813), Sense and Sensibility (1811)

Significant Authors and Works in America

Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803-1882) Nature (1844) Self Reliance (1841)

Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804- 1864) The Scarlet Letter (1850)

Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849) The Raven (1845) Annabel Lee (1849)

Jerusalem-William Blake And did those feet in ancient time

Walk upon England's mountains green? And was the holy Lamb of God

On England's pleasant pastures seen?And did the Countenance Divine Shine forth upon our clouded

hills? And was Jerusalem builded here Among these dark Satanic Mills?

Bring me my bow of burning gold! Bring me my arrows of desire!

Bring me my spear! O clouds, unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire!

I will not cease from mental fight, Nor shall my sword sleep in my hand,

Till we have built Jerusalem In England's green and pleasant land.

Excerpt from Nature- Ralph Waldo Emerson

 In the presence of nature, a wild delight runs through the man, in spite of real sorrows. Nature says, -- he is my creature, and maugre all his

impertinent griefs, he shall be glad with me. Not the sun or the summer alone, but every hour and season yields its tribute of delight; for every hour and change corresponds to and authorizes a different state of the mind, from breathless noon to grimmest midnight. Nature is a setting that fits equally well a comic or a mourning piece. In good health, the air is a cordial of incredible virtue. Crossing a bare common, in snow

puddles, at twilight, under a clouded sky, without having in my thoughts any occurrence of special good fortune, I have enjoyed a

perfect exhilaration. I am glad to the brink of fear. In the woods too, a man casts off his years, as the snake his slough, and at what period

soever of life, is always a child. In the woods, is perpetual youth.

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. The Haywain John Constable

"Immigrants Crossing the Prairie" Albert Bierstadt

"Nocturne: Blue and Gold, Old Battersea Bridge " James Whistler

"Tower Falls and Sulfer Rock" Thomas Moran

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