American Romanticism

American Romanticism

The literary movement known as American Romanticism extended between 1830 and 1860 and coincided with the Victorian period (1830-1880) in the U.S. The context of American Romanticism is also very interesting and relevant in our endeavor to understand this particular cultural movement in the history of our nation. From this perspective, American Romantics were undoubtedly influenced by the dramatic political and social changes taking place in the early nineteenth century.

Some of the most common literary themes of American Romanticism are escapism, the common man as a hero and nature as refuge. In fact, nature is at the core of Romantic writings which are characterized by emotional intensity, imagination and a profound infusion of subjectivism. Characters are generally static, often isolated from society. In most cases, characters are subjected to the vision and powers of an omniscient narrator, and are unable to escape the fate that he or she has predicted them. At the same time, their universe is mysterious, irrational and sometimes supernatural. In terms of literary techniques, American Romantics use symbols, myths, or fantastic elements (e.g., Thoreau's "Walden Pond," Melville's "White Whale," and Poe's "House of Usher") as the focus and expression of the protagonist's mental processes or to convey deeper psychological or archetypal themes. Foreshadowing is another key technique employed it in relation to the supernatural -- dreams, visions and illusions.

The primary trait of American Romanticism was the celebration of individualism. This feature is very interesting in the context of U.S. culture which has always emphasized individualism and egalitarianism. Democracy is the political regime which elevates everyone to the same social status. From this point-of-view, democracy, along with its implicit laissez-faire government, allows everyone to break free from the old, traditional hierarchy, and maximize their own worth in a free social scheme. However, this kind of independence determines a sense of isolation because in the absence of a traditional context, insecurity about values arises. In this sense, American Romantic writers notice that the average middle-class person aspires to be like everyone else which causes, perhaps paradoxically, a loss in individualism. These writers value democracy but are fully aware of the dangers represented by this loss of individual identity.

For many literary critics, American Romanticism as a literary movement was born on August 31, 1837 when Ralph Waldo Emerson addressed the Phi Beta Kappa Society at Harvard College. His speech became known as the birth of Romanticism, a period which produced some of the most valuable and critically acclaimed writers such as Melville, Hawthorne, Emerson, Whitman and Thoreau who, in fact, define American Romanticism through the movement called "transcendentalism" which focuses on the relationship between Nature and the individual, as well as the evolution of individualism. This paper looks at how individualism is reflected in three of the most prominent works belonging to American Romanticism -- Thoreau's Walden, Whitman's Leaves of Grass and Emerson's Essay on Self-reliance.

Henry David Thoreau also senses this loss of distinction. His book, Walden, published in 1854 at the height of American Romanticism, celebrates his return to Nature -- a sanctum of non-artificiality -- where Romantic writers sought knowledge and spiritual fulfillment. Walden is a key work of American Romanticism because of its embedded ideas of solitude, individualism, pantheism and intuition. Thematically rich, Walden tackles the importance of self-reliance, solitude, contemplation and closeness to nature -- all of which form the path towards a sort of enlightenment represented by transcendentalism -- the capacity to transcend the realm of mundane existence and society. Aside from providing precious autobiographical material, Walden offers social critique of contemporary Western culture, marked by a materialist perspective and the destruction of nature.

As mentioned before, American Romantics focus on self-reliant individualism. Perhaps the best example of the theme of self-reliance is to be found in Emerson's eponymous essay. Transcendentalism in America, of which Ralph Waldo Emerson was the leading figure, argues that a fundamental continuity exists between man, nature, and God, or the divine. What is beyond nature is revealed through nature; nature is itself a symbol, or an indication of a deeper reality. Self-Reliance, first published in Essays (First Series) in 1841, is widely considered to be the definitive statement of Emerson's philosophy of individualism and the most powerful assortment of his belief in the value and profound dignity of the individual. Individual conscience is the ultimate authority, and originality is essential. We ought to find in ourselves the strength and inspiration to be our own person, to live our own lives and not be held to some standard by others. We should pave the way to our own lives, our own standards, and our own good. Emerson argues in favor of the development of the individual who is not afraid to live according to his own standards, and to think for himself. This level of individualism represents Emerson's ideal, in tune with nature, and at one with the world.