Literature of the American Renaissance 1800 1870 America

� “…America is a land of wonders, in which everything is in constant motion

� The American Renaissance �Renaissance: Rebirth of classical art and learning �American Renaissance –

� Steam, Steel, and Spirit �Physical expansion (Louisiana Purchase – 1803) and technological progress

� The Slow March of Democracy �Andrew Jackson – elected 1828 – “the People’s

� Winds of Change � 1850 s – America faces conflict due to competition

� What is the relationship between literature and place? � What makes American literature

� What did Americans discover as they explored the continent? � What attitudes developed

� How did these attitudes show up in literature? �An American Mythology Lewis and

� What qualities made American literature sound American? �American Local dialects Spanish, French, Dutch,

� What literary character types emerged during this period? �The Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett,

� What literary themes emerged during this era? �Westering “The garden of the world”

� What social forces shaped America during this period? �Technology �Democracy �Slavery � What

� What �The Romantic Vision Imagination over reasoning, feeling over fact, nature above all.

� 1803 � 1804 � 1807 � 1814 � 1818 � 1827 � 1831

� Part 1: Fireside and Campfire The Devil and Tom Walker � Thanatopsis �

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Literature of the American Renaissance 1800 – 1870

� “…America is a land of wonders, in which everything is in constant motion and every change seems an improvement…” � “America has produced very few writers of distinction… [The literature of England] still darts its rays into the forests of the New World. ” -Alexis de Tocqueville

� The American Renaissance �Renaissance: Rebirth of classical art and learning �American Renaissance – not a “rebirth” but a first flowering – allowed literature and culture to mature. � 1800: the nation’s capital moved from Philadelphia to Washington D. C. establishing a political center and the Library of Congress was founded.

� Steam, Steel, and Spirit �Physical expansion (Louisiana Purchase – 1803) and technological progress (“the iron horse”; gold rush - 1849; industry; farming) lay the foundation for an American cultural flowering.

� The Slow March of Democracy �Andrew Jackson – elected 1828 – “the People’s President” �Era of the common man (white man) � On the World Stage �The War of 1812 �The Monroe Doctrine – 1823 �Mexican-American War - 1845

� Winds of Change � 1850 s – America faces conflict due to competition �Child labor and unsafe working conditions �Minimal women’s rights �Slavery � 1861 – America bursts into civil war

� What is the relationship between literature and place? � What makes American literature American? � How does literature shape or reflect society?

� What did Americans discover as they explored the continent? � What attitudes developed toward the American land? �Commerce �Grandeur Spiritual possibilities

� How did these attitudes show up in literature? �An American Mythology Lewis and Clark Irving – tales in forests or outposts Longfellow – American heroes �The American Masters Poe, Hawthorne, Melville Emerson and Thoreau Dickenson and Whitman �Nature and Culture Vast array

� What qualities made American literature sound American? �American Local dialects Spanish, French, Dutch, and Native American mixed Land features named �Triumph of the Colloquial Informal (contractions; idioms) �The English “Barbaric Yawp” Youtube: Dead Poets Society

� What literary character types emerged during this period? �The Daniel Boone, Davey Crockett, Paul Bunyan Bold, self-reliant, and uncorrupted by civilization �The Romantic Individualist Individual over community �The Frontiersman Transcendental Seeker Oneness with all that is beauty and good Sublime – at one with the Oversoul

� What literary themes emerged during this era? �Westering “The garden of the world” Invaded by machines �Bright and Dark Romanticism “the sun is but a morning star” – fundamentally good Crime, cruelty, guilt, self-destruction is human nature (gothic) �Self-Reliance Make your own choices, and do not let others choose for you.

� What social forces shaped America during this period? �Technology �Democracy �Slavery � What did nineteenth-century Americans read?

� What �The Romantic Vision Imagination over reasoning, feeling over fact, nature above all. Individual quest for self definition �The Social Vision New World can rival to Old World American opinion in public forum �The did American writers want to achieve? Transcendental Vision Real truths lay outside sensory experience

� 1803 � 1804 � 1807 � 1814 � 1818 � 1827 � 1831 � 1837 � 1841 � 1845 � 1850 � 1852 � 1861 – – – – Louisiana Purchase Lewis and Clark expedition begins Steamboat makes first American trip “The Star-Spangled Banner” is written Shelley publishes Frankenstein Poe publishes first collections of poems First mechanical reaper Telegraph patent issued Antarctica first explored Florida becomes 27 th state Hawthorne publishes The Scarlet Letter Stowe publishes Uncle Tom’s Cabin Civil War begins

� Part 1: Fireside and Campfire The Devil and Tom Walker � Thanatopsis � Old Ironsides � (Longfellow poems) � � Part 2: Shadows of the Imagination The Minister’s Black Veil � The Fall of the House of Usher � (The Cask of Amontillado) � (Poe poems) � � Part 3: The Human Spirit and the Natural World Nature � Self-Reliance � Concord Hymn � Walden � � Part 4: American Masters Dickinson poems � Whitman poems �