The Romantic Period
The Romantic Period in the United States was from 1800 to 1850. After beginning in Europe in the late 18th century, Romanticism found its way to the United States. Art, literature, politics, and philosophy were all part of the Romantic Period in the United States in the early and middle 19th century. The movement had several characteristics that stressed expressions of emotions, individuality, personal freedom, nature, and the supernatural. The Romantic Period focused on the celebration of people and nature.
Some of the more famous writers of the Romantic Period in the United States from 1800 to 1850 were Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, and Emily Dickinson.
The beginning of the Romantic Period
Most believe the Romantic Period was the start of American Literature. Numerous authors produced works that have become timeless. There were also different styles of Romantic Literature in American. For instance, Edgar Allan Poe wrote stories of paranormal or macabre and Washington Irving created stories like The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle. Other writers like James Fennimore Cooper wrote about noble savages in The Last of the Mohicans and Herman Melville’s Moby-Dick described the adventures on sea of whalers. Still other authors like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau featured the love of nature and the sublime.
Poetry was important too during the Romantic Period. Poets like Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman created pieces about romantic realism. Whitman’s work created a new type of poetry which focused on American’s unity and equality. Dickinson expressed the mind and heart to liberate the individualistic views of people.
Legacy of the Romantic Period
The legacy of the Romantic Period in the United States from 1800 to 1850 mainly resides in literature. Literature of the movement concentrated on characters with intense and private feelings that showed excitement and sensitivity. The characters in the literature portrayed individuals exercising more free choices during their lives. The different styles of writing were personal to authors who believed in creating a unique American identity as the country grew.
Important facts about the Romantic Period in the United States from 1800 to 1850
- The Romantic Period in the United States started in the 1810s and lasted through the 1850s.
- There were five main characteristics of the Romantic Period. They were love of nature, individuality, macabre or paranormal, emotions, and personal freedom.
- The Romantic Period is often referred to as the start of American Literature.
- Romanticism and Transcendentalism were somewhat similar in that each proclaimed a more personal relationship with God through individual freedom and expressions.
- Writers like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson were instrumental in the Transcendental and Romantic Movements in the United States.
- Poetry written by Walt Whitman expressed a unique American democratic style and Emily Dickinson focused on the mind and heart to show individuality.
- Macabre or paranormal writers were Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving.
- James Fennimore Cooper created stories of the noble savage in his works named The Last of the Mohicans and Leatherstocking Tales.
Questions
Which Romantic Period writers in the United States from 1800 to 1850 concentrated on the macabre or paranormal worlds?
Edgar Allan Poe and Washington Irving
What were the five characteristics of Romantic Period writing?
Individuality, emotion, love of nature, personal freedom, and macabre or paranormal
Which two writers of the Romantic Period were also instrumental in the Transcendentalist Movement?
Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau
What is the Romantic Period in the United States from 1800 to 1850 often referred to as?
The start of American Literature
What idea did James Fennimore Cooper write about in The Last of the Mohicans?
Noble savages
