American Romanticism
1800-1860
A Journey
• Away from civilization and back to nature
• Away from corruption and back to
innocence and youth
• Away from industrialization and back to
intuition and emotion
• Away from rationalization and back to
imagination
• Away from science and back to poetry
Literature
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Search for higher truth
Exotic locales
Contemplation of the natural world
Development of Gothic novel and
exploration of the human mind
• Less clearly defined divinity in nature
American Novels
• New subject matter: frontiers, westward
expansion, frontier life, wilderness
• New American hero: heroic, simple
morality, love of nature, innocent, youthful,
intuitive
American Poetry
• Mimics European styles, themes, meter,
imagery
• Fireside Poets: read aloud for family
entertainment, subjects included love,
patriotism, nature, family, God, religion
• Fireside Poets also introduced new
subjects: American landscapes,
abolitionist issues, Indian culture