Your assignment:
1. Read the paragraph (below) on Dark Romanticism
2. Read “Rappacini’s Daughter.” TURN COPY BACK IN! It’s a class set.
3. Answer ONE of the follow-up QUESTION LISTS. TURN IN! (Do NOT
take home to finish because you have enough to read at home already. This
counts as your reading quiz for today.
4. If you finish early, you may work on your Scarlet Letter reading and paideia
preparation.
5. YOU WILL HAVE ACCESS TO THIS SHEET, THE STORY, AND YOUR
RESPONSE ON THE FINAL PAIDEIA IN CASE YOU WISH TO MAKE
CONNECTIONS.
Dark Romanticism
We will soon study Romanticism and Transcendentalism, but it is important that we at
least mention it during our reading of The Scarlet Letter. This is because the novel, even
though it is about Puritan times, was written during the late Romantic period by
Nathanial Hawthorne. Hawthorne, Herman Melville (who wrote Moby Dick) and Edgar
Allan Poe (who needs no introduction!) were considered to be the three AntiTranscendentalists or Dark Romantics.
Dark Romanticism shared the basic characteristics of Romanticism (valuing intuition
over reason, seeing symbols in all events (critics consider The Scarlet Letter the first
symbolic novel written in America), and a belief that spirituality is located primarily in
nature. However, the Dark Romantics twisted the Romantic concept a bit. They
believed that nature was NOT necessarily good or harmless, and that it could sometimes
actually be evil. They were fascinated by the psychological effects of sin, guilt, and even
madness. We have already studied how “duality,” or the good and evil sides of a person
are thought to coexist in each of us.
“Rappaccini’s Daughter”, written in 1844 (six years before The Scarlet Letter) is one of
Hawthorne’s most well-known stories.
Questions (ANSWER ON THE BACK OF THIS SHEET)
PICK ONE, A, B, OR C !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
A) How does this story fit the characteristics of Dark Romanticism?
B) Some critics have called “Rappaccini’s Daughter” a “retelling of the Garden
of Eden” story. Support this position.
C) Connect “Rappaccini’s Daughter” to The Scarlet Letter. Consider, plot,
theme, style, characterization etc.
ANSWER: THESIS STATEMENT that reveals your topic choice:
1. First point:
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2. First point:
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3. First point:
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4. First point:
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5. First point:
Reason(s):
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