lecture 3-美国文学史.pptVIP

Chapter III The Literature of Romanticism I. History of the Age II. Literary Characteristics III. Major writers I. History of the Age 1. Growth of population 2. Westward expansion and rise of the West 3. Development of democracy 4. Industrialization and urbanization 5. Social reforms 6. Development of education and culture II. Literary Characteristics Early Romantic Period Washington Irving James Fenimore Cooper Summit of Romanticism – American Transcendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Late Romanticism Nathaniel Hawthorne Herman Melville Romantic Poets Walt Whitman Emily Dickenson Edgar Allen Poe Early Romantic Period A. Characteristics of Romanticism B. Features of American Romanticism C. Major writers II. Literary Characteristics Romanticism was a rebellion against the objectivity of rationalism. For romantics, the feelings, intuitions and emotions were more important than reason and common sense. They stressed the close relationship between man and nature, emphasized individualism and affirmed the inner life of the self. They cherished strong interest in the past, especially the medieval and were attracted by the wild, the irregular, the indefinite, the remote, the mysterious, and the strange. II. Literary Characteristics Romantics frequently shared certain general characteristics: moral enthusiasm, faith in the value of individualism and intuitive perception, and a presumption that the natural world was a source of goodness and man’s societies a source of corruption. Characteristics of Romanticism 1. Romanticism was a rebellion against the objectivity of rationalism. 2. For romantics, feeling, intuitions and emotions were more important than reason and common sense. 3. Romantics stressed the close relationship between man and nature. 4. They emphasized individualism. They believed in the natural goodness of human beings. II. Literary Charac