Review for the Dark Romantics: Poe and Hawthorne
The Dark Romantics shared these Romantic values with the Transcendentalists –
 both groups valued intuition over logic and reason, and
 both saw signs and symbols in all events.
Where they differ is that the Dark Romantics perceived the innate wickedness of human beings in contrast to
the transcendentalists’ sunnier view of life and human nature.
The Dark Romantics’ Fiction
The Dark Romantics were especially interested in examining the past, the supernatural, the mystical, the
“gothic,” and the exotic. The fiction of both Poe and Hawthorne incorporated elements of
the strange/the sinister/the mysterious/the fantastic/the supernatural and occult.
Poe’s settings tended to be in remote, gloomy, and unknown places, while Hawthorne’s stories were set in
the Puritan villages of New England’s past.
Hawthorne explored the conflict between good and evil and the psychological effects of guilt and sin in much
of his fiction. Poe, on the other hand, worked to create what he called “unity of effect” in his writing and thus
focused his language on producing feelings of horror or suspense in his readers. Finally, both writers placed
great emphasis on introspection, melancholy, and sadness, and their fiction often dealt with such themes as
the transience of life, the inevitability of death, and in Poe’s case, the effects of madness on his characters
and their actions.
“The Masque of the Red Death”
Define Allegory:
Symbols:
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“The Minister’s Black Veil”
Define Parable:
Symbols:
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Remember to review the vocabulary lists for “The Masque of the Red Death” and “The Minister’s Black Veil.”
Literary Analysis
Gothic Elements
“The Masque of the Red Death”
Darker Side of Human Nature
Symbols and their Meaning
Setting
Characters
Themes
What’s on the test?
 Five vocabulary words from each story (multiple choice only),
 Seven multiple choice questions for each story, and
 Three short answer questions for each story.
“The Minister’s Black Veil”