Unit 2 Early Romanticism - 副本课件.ppt

Unit 2 Early Romanticism;A few more words about American literature in the colonial and revolutionary period;American Romanticism: 1815-1865;American Romanticism: 1815-1865;Features of Romanticism;Romanticism was rebellious in spirit, standing in reaction against the neoclassical spirit then prevailing in American literary life. Neoclassicism: formality, order, authority; Romanticism: freedom and individualism, imagination superior to rationalism Neoclassicists: convinced of material reality; romantics: prefer the innate or intuitive perception by the heart of man The Romantics’ reliance upon the significance of the subconscious, inner life found expression in intuitionalism and a profound interest in abnormal psychology. ;The romantic showed a profound admiration and love for nature, the beauty and perfection of nature could produce in him an unspeakable joy. The romantic believed that he was the chosen and favored creature in nature, hence he was free in using his talent to eulogize nature. The romantic also had a persistent interest in the primitive literature, such as epics, ballads, and other forms of folk literature, in which he found inspiration of various kinds. ;In America as in Europe, fresh new vision electrified artistic and intellectual circles. Yet there was an important difference: Romanticism in America coincided with the period of national expansion and the discovery of a distinctive American voice. The solidification of a national identity and the surging idealism and passion of Romanticism nurtured the masterpieces of the American Renaissance.”;The Romantic spirit seemed particularly suited to American democracy: It stressed individualism, affirmed the value of the common person, and looked to the inspired imagination for its aesthetic and ethical values. Certainly the New England Transcendentalists -- Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and their associates -- were inspired to a new optimistic affirmation by the Romantic Movement. In