Dark Romanticism
By: Alex Veselinovic
5/13/12

What will be covered:
• Introduction to Dark Romanticism
• The Social Conditions
• The Political Conditions
• The Religious Conditions
• The Artistic Conditions
• Famous Authors
• Edgar Allan Poe
• Poe’s Famous Works
• Herman Melville
• Melville’s Famous Works
• How Dark Romanticism Influences the Times

Introduction
• Dark Romanticism was essentially a rebellion to the Transcendentalism period.
• They were against optimism and happiness and focused more on sin, pain, and selfdestruction.

Social Conditions
• Many people were opposed to the pessimistic views of Dark Romanticism.
• The times during the Dark Romantics were grim and dull.
• Dark Romanticism uses this to create it’s work.

Political Conditions
• Free thinking was not widely accepted in the
Dark Romantic period.
• Also, the pessimistic theme of it frightened people.
• Some people did not like the pessimism and wanted to be happy.

Religious Conditions
• Dark Romantics were focused on the dark side of the mind and more toward the physical side of a person rather than the spiritual.
• The times were not very religious either.

Artistic Conditions
• Sin and evil were very popular themes in arts.
• Creatures were also influential to the culture of arts.
• A few examples are monsters and vampires.

Famous Authors
• Edgar Allan Poe
• Herman Melville

Edgar Allan Poe
• Edgar Allan Poe is the most famous example of the Dark Romantic era.
• His stories were very mysterious and dark.

Poe’s Famous Works
• His most famous works are:
• “The Raven”
• “Tell-Tale Heart”
• “Cask of Amontillado”

Why are these works famous?
• These works are very mysterious.
• They give a sense of fear and terror.
• They are very dark and grim.

Herman Melville
• Melville was a very famous author of this period.
• His books acquired a lot of attention.
• He soon lost his fame after he died.
• However, he gained it back during the
“Melville Revival”.
• He is known as one of America’s most significant authors.

Melville’s Famous Works
• Melville’s most famous works are:
• Moby-Dick
• White Jacket
• Crarel

Why are these works famous?
• They are very atmospheric.
• They have a lot of imagery.
• They give a lot of detail on how life was.

How Dark Romantics influenced the
Times
• Dark Romantics was very influential to the development of several arts.
• Horror is a significant example.
• Creatures were also emphasized during this time.

Horror
• This genre was populated in this period.
• The dark nature and pessimistic views were very important in it’s popularity.
• Many famous books were created.
• It also influenced horror and thriller movies.

Significant Works
• Some significant works that were influenced by Dark Romanticism are:
• Dracula
• Frankenstein

Significant Authors
• Some significant authors that were influenced by Dark Romanticism are:
• Stephen King
• Dram Stoker

Creatures
• Some creatures that were influenced by Dark
Romanticism are:
• Vampires
• Werewolves
• Ghouls
• Devils