Dark Romanticism
1840-1865
Definition of Dark Romanticism
A phenomenon or a literary and
historical movement, wherein authors
and poets revolted against the classical
ways of writing and expression
Background
 Many historians and experts believe that the
reason this genre sprung to fame was because of
a reaction to a society that was fast becoming
industrialized and mechanical.
 Authors often preferred writing tales of horror
and terror.
 They reveled in describing the tragedies that
often befell human lives.
Background
 Most authors who wrote in this style had a tendency to write about
subjects that were not only gloomy and morose, but had elements of the
morbid and grotesque.
 Dark Romanticism is widely considered to be one of the most popular
subgenres of American literature due to the degree of illogical elements
that so seamlessly blended into the genre.
 While the characteristics of romanticism will tell you more about the
belief that real life was quite dreary in comparison to imagination, Dark
Romanticism characteristics suggest that authors believed otherwise.
 They believed that human beings were equally capable of evil and good.
While Romantics tried to ignore the evil and sociopathic behavior of
man, the Dark Romantics took it as a duty to remind the world of the
evil doings of man.
Characteristics of Dark Romanticism
 Supernatural
 Sin
 Guilt
 Suspense
 Evil
 Madness
 Dark Romanticism was a reaction to Transcendentalism.
 Dark Romantics found Transcendentalism too optimistic
Beliefs of the Dark Romantics
 Dark Romantics are much less confident about the idea
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that the way to reality is through intuition.
Presents individuals as prone to sin and selfdestruction, not possessing divinity and wisdom.
Frequently shows individuals failing in their attempts to
make changes for the better.
Romantics and Dark Romantics both believe that
nature is a deeply spiritual force, however, Dark
Romanticism views nature as sinister and evil.
When nature does reveal truth to man, its revelations
are pessimistic and soul-crushing.
Common Characteristics
 One of the characteristics that they had in common with the
Romantics was the belief that emotions, and intuitions meant
for a lot, and accounted for more than logical reasoning.
 They paid a lot of attention to the many mysteries of life that
were impossible to explain by reasoning.
 Despite their focus on the morbid and tragic, they never
were cynical, nor did they emphasize on the same.
 Their showcase of the evil of human beings was a tribute to
the struggles that human beings overcame in their life.
Poetry Qualities
 Employed the following Literary Devices:
 Internal Rhyme: Word in middle of line rhymes with
word at end of line
 End Rhyme: Ends of multiple lines rhyme
 Alliteration: Repetition of sounds at the beginning of
words
 Onomatopoeia: Sound of word mimics its meaning
Gothic Story Qualities
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Mysterious Settings
“Trick” the reader
Elements of the bizarre and supernatural (mystical)
Enter a world of imagination
American Dark Romanticism is similar to the Gothic Literature movement
popular in England during the late eighteenth- and early nineteenth-centuries
Gothic fiction is known for its incorporation of many conventions that are also
found in Dark Romantic works.
Gothic literature is a genre that combines elements of both horror and
romance.
Macabre is a quality of certain artistic or literary works characterized by a
grim or ghastly atmosphere.
Gothic fiction is more about sheer terror than Dark Romanticism's themes of
dark mystery and skepticism regarding man.
Authors such as Mary Shelley’s tales and poems commonly feature outcasts
from society, personal torment, and uncertainty as to whether the nature of
man will bring him salvation or destruction.
Main Writers
 Edgar Allan Poe
 Considered the main author within this sub genre
 Strongly disliked Transcendentalism
 Writing explored the psychology of man, including the perverse
and self-destructive nature of the conscious and subconscious
mind
 Nathaniel Hawthorne
 Dark Romantic with closest ties to Transcendentalism
 Lived in the community before becoming troubled by the
movement
 Herman Melville
 Most known for Moby Dick
Egdar Allan Poe
• Born Edgar Poe in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19,
1809
• Known as the American Shakespeare
• Poe created or mastered the short story, detective fiction,
science fiction, lyric poetry and the horror story.
• Widely acknowledged as the creator of the modern
detective story
• Enlisted in the Army after attending the second class at the
University of Virginia.
• Later attended and was expelled from West Point
• Lived in Baltimore and was the editor of the Southern
Literary Messenger
• Battled poverty, gambling, alcohol, and depression
• Died at age forty alone in Baltimore – even his family did
not know of his death until they read about it in the paper
Nathaniel Hawthorn
 Born July 4, 1804
 Attended Bowdin College
 In 1836 Hawthorne served as the editor of the
American Magazine of Useful and Entertaining Knowledge.
 He held various government positions that basically
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allowed him to support his family while writing.
Hawthorne wrote in the comparative obscurity of what he called his "owl's
nest" in the family home. As he looked back on this period of his life, he wrote:
"I have not lived, but only dreamed about living".
Married illustrator and transcendentalist Sophia Peabody.
Joined the transcendentalist Utopian community at Brook Farm in 1841 not
because he agreed with the experiment but because it helped him save money
to marry Sophia
Died on May 18, 1864
Herman Melville
 Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1,
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1819
Melville attended the Albany Academy where he studied the
classics
Most well-known for writing Moby Dick
Died in September 1891
His professional writing career is said to have
ended in 1866 and he became a customs
house official in New York for 19 years.
Video
 http://education-portal.com/academy/topic/dark-
romantics.html