《美国文学》课件5.pptVIP

1. American Romanticism As a movement, romanticism came to America in the 19th century. The Romantic period in American literary history is one of the most important periods in the history of American literature, which stretched from the end of the 18th century through the outbreak of the Civil War. 3. Romanticism and Cultural Nationalism American romanticism did not achieve its most powerful articulations until Poe, Emerson, Thoreau, Melville, Whitman, and Emily Dickinson. Irving, Cooper and Bryant are regarded as pioneers of American Romanticism. In exploring romanticism, we need to remember that its manifestations varied as widely as the individualistic talents and perspectives of romantic writers. But there are some general characteristics that can be summarized as follows: (1). Romanticism celebrates the triumph of feeling and intuition over reason. Since romantic writers placed a higher value on the free expression of emotion and on the power of imagination, they showed greater interests in the psychic states. (2). If Enlightenment had annulled the Middle Ages, romanticism looked back to the period with a nostalgic fascination. The “Orient” –especially its “glorious” past—also became a source of fascination. Gothic styles, “oriental styles” and other exotic styles were in vogue. (3). Romanticism exalts the individual over society, thus showing a strong disliking for the bondage of convention and customs. (4). Nature is believed to be the source of goodness and the antithesis of society as society tends to be corrupt. A related manifestation is the moral enthusiasm exhibited in some romantic writers. (5). Cultural nationalism –or the proud belief in ones own cultural genius and heritage –is also a striking attribute of romanticism. The Author’s Account of Himselfby Washington Irving Study Questions: 1.What is Irving’s place in the history of American literature? 2.What character traits of the author does this account reveal? 3.The author seem to h