Chapter 3 The Age of Romanticism

Chapter3:TheAgeofRomanticism2BackgroundsofAmericanRomanticismNationalinfluencesInternationalinfluencesNationalInfluencesA.Inpolitics:democracyandpoliticalequalitylaythefoundationofRomanticism;B.Ineconomics:thespreadofindustrialism;thesuddeninfluxofimmigrationandthepioneerspushingthefrontierfurtherwest;C.Inculture:thepublicationofWebster’sDictionarymarkedthebeginningoftheAmericanEnglish;theappearanceofmanymagazinesandnewspapers.3InternationalInfluencesA.RomanticMovementinEnglandandEuropeprovedtobeadecisiveinfluence;B.ManyEnglishandEuropeanmastersofpoetryandprosemadestimulatingimpactonAmericanRomanticism.4RomanticismAmovementofthe18thand19thcentury.Itisthepredominanceofimaginationoverreasonandformalrulesandoverthesenseoffactortheactual,apsychologicaldesiretoescapefromunpleasantrealities5DetailedInformationaboutRomanticismA.Romanticismwasamovementinliterature,philosophy,musicandartwhichdevelopedinEuropeinthelate18thandearly19thcenturies;B.ItemphasizedindividualvaluesandaspirationsabovethoseofsocietyasareactiontotheIndustrialRevolution;C.ItlookedtotheMiddleAgesandtodirectcontactwithnatureforinspiration;D.Itgaveimpetustothenationalliberationmovementin19th-centuryEurope.6AmericanRomanticismTheRomanticPeriod,oneofthemostimportantperiodsinthehistoryofAmericanliterature,stretchesfromtheendofthe18thcenturytotheoutbreakoftheCivilWar.7AmericanRomanticism1.ItstartedwiththepublicationofWashingtonIrving'sTheSketchBook（1819）andendedwithWhitman'sLeavesofGrass（1855）;2.Itwasarebellionagainsttheobjectivityofrationalism.Forromantics,thefeelings,intuitionsandemotionsweremoreimportantthanreasonandcommonsense;3.Thewritersemphasizedindividualism,placingtheindividualagainstthegroup.Theyaffirmedtheinnerlifeoftheself,andcherishedstronginterestinthepast,thewild,theremote,themysteriousandthestrange.8AmericanRomanticism4.thewritersstressedtheelementof“Amerianness”intheirworks;5.BeingaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,itisalsocalledtheAmericanRenaissance;6.AmericanRomanticismis,inacertainway,derivative.9AmericanRenaissanceItisalsocalledNewEnglandRenaissance.ItisaperiodofthegreatfloweringofAmericanliterature,fromthe1830sroughlyuntiltheendoftheAmericanCivilWar.Itcameofageasanexpressionofanationalspirit——nationalism.OneofthemostimportantinfluencesintheperiodwasthatoftheTranscendentalism,mainlyfromRalphWaldoEmerson,HenryDavidThoreau.10CharacteristicsofAmericanRomanticism1.TheAmericannationalexperienceofpioneeringintothewestprovedtobearichsourceofmaterialforAmericanwriterstodrawupon.TheycelebratedAmerica'slandscapewithitsvirginforests,meadows,groves,endlessprairies,streams,andvastoceans.Thewildernesscametofunctionalmostasadramaticcharacterthatsymbolizedmorallaw.11CharacteristicsofAmericanRomanticism2.ThedesireforanescapefromsocietyandareturntonaturebecameapermanentconventionofAmericanliterature.SuchadesireisparticularlyevidentinCooper'sLeatherStockingTales,inThoreau'sWaldenand,later,inMarkTwain'sAdventuresofHuckleberryFinn.12CharacteristicsofAmericanRomanticism3.WiththegrowthofAmericannationalconsciousness,Americancharactertypesspeakinglocaldialectsappearedinpoetryandfictionwithincreasingfrequency.13CharacteristicsofAmericanRomanticism4.ThentheAmericanPuritanismasaculturalheritageexertedgreatinfluencesoverAmericanmoralvaluesandAmericanRomanticism.OneofthemanifestationsisthefactthatAmericanromanticwriterstendedmoretomoralizethantheirEnglishandEuropeancounterparts.14CharacteristicsofAmericanRomanticism5.Besides,apreoccupationwiththeCalvinisticviewoforiginalsinsandthemysteryofevilsmarkedtheworksofHawthorne,Melvilleandahostoflesserwriters.15DistinctFeatureofAmericanRomanticism1.Itwastheexpressionof“arealnewexperience”;2.IttendedtobedidacticbecauseofPuritaninfluence;3.Itwasbothimitativeandindependent16TranscendentalismAbroad,philosophicalmovementinNewEnglandduringtheRomanticera(peakingbetween1835and1845).Appearedin1830,markedthematurityofAmericanromanticismandthefirstrenaissanceintheAmericanliteraryhistory.ThetermwasderivedfromtheLatinverbtranscendere:toriseabove,topassbeyondthelimits.Itstressedtheroleofdivinityinnatureandtheindividual’sintuition,andexaltedfeelingoverreason.17NewEnglandTranscendentalismThephaseofNewEnglandTranscendentalismisthesummitofAmericanRomanticism.Itwas,inessence,romanticismonPuritansoil.ItwasstartedbyagroupofintellectualandtheliterarymenoftheUnitedStatessuchasEmerson,HenryDavidThoreauwhoweremembersofaninformalclub,i.e.theTranscendentalClubinNewEnglandinthel830s.18Thetranscendentalistsreactedagainstthecold,rigidrationalismofUnitarianism(基督教)上帝一位论inBoston.Theyadheredtoanidealisticsystemofthoughtbasedonabeliefintheessentialunityofallcreation,theinnategoodnessofman,andthesupremacyofinsightoverlogicandexperiencefortherevelationofthedeepesttruths.Basically,Transcendentalismhasbeendefinedphilosophicallyastherecognitioninmanofthecapacityofknowingtruthwithintuition(theactorfacultyofknowingorsensingwithouttheuseofrationalprocesses),orofattainingknowledgetranscendingthereachofthesens