Understand the historical and social forces that shaped American Romanticism Interpret the way historical context influenced literary works in the Romantic Period Understand the relevance of the Romantic era to our own day Objectives
Rationalism
Rationalism is the belief that human beings can arrive at truth by using reason, other than by relying on the authority of the past, on religious faith, or on intuition.
This way of thinking led to the American Revolution at the end of the 17th century.
We did not study much Rational literature because you have studied most of it in American History class:
The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, “Common Sense,” the Federalist Papers, The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin, etc.
Rationalists saw cities as a place of opportunity and promise, where dreams can come true.
The City, Gray and Grim
In the early 1800’s, the largest cities were Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Charleston, and New York.
Cities were overcrowded. Many lived in “tenements”, where 8 people lived in one room with no furniture and as many as 200 people might share one bathtub.
The major mode of transport was horses. The streets were littered with horse droppings, and when a horse died, it’s body was left on the curb for days.
Cities were plagued by disease, homelessness and crime.
American Romanticism
Most students assume that “Romanticism” means that we are studying love poems.
THIS IS NOT TRUE!!!!
American Romanticism can best be described as a journey away from the corruption of civilization and the limits of rational thought.
American Romantics moved toward the integrity of nature and the freedom of the imagination.
