Four Classifications of Romanticism
1.
2.
3.
4.
The Early Romantics
The Fireside Poets
The Dark Romantics
The Transcendentalists
The Early Romantics - pgs. 308-309 in ORANGE Lit. Book
Writers and Selections
 W.C. Bryant - “Thanatopsis”
 Washington Irving - “The Devil and Tom Walker”
Characteristics
1. Inspired by nature
2. Emphasized an American identity
3. Reflected modern sensibilities
4. Captured the energy of the American West
The Fireside Poets - pg. 310 in ORANGE Lit. Book
Writers and Selections
 H.W. Longfellow - “The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls”
 O. W. Holmes - “The Chambered Nautilus”
Characteristics
1. Poetry was morally uplifting and romantically engaging
2. Poets wrote about social reform and the common man
3. 1st time that American poetry was considered equal to British poetry
The Dark Romantics - pgs. 312-313 in ORANGE Lit. Book
Writers and Selections
 Edgar Allen Poe - “The Raven” and “Fall of the House of Usher”
Characteristics
1. Examined the dark side of human nature
2. Explored the psychology or inner life of characters
3. Explained the human capacity for evil
4. Contained Gothic elements – bizarre, violent, supernatural, demonic, insane
Transcendentalists - pg. 311 in ORANGE Lit. Book
Writers and Selections
 Ralph Waldo Emerson - “Nature” and “Self-Reliance”
Characteristics
1. Advocated the simple life
2. Truth could be found in nature
3. Valued optimism, freedom, and self-reliance
4. Stressed the importance of the individual
5. Discovery of truth through intuition
6. Believed that people were inherently good