American Romanticism and Authors Review

Vocabulary practice flashcards covering key authors, concepts, character traits, and literary movements from the American Romanticism lecture notes.

Nathanial Hawthorne

American author (1804–1864) who felt guilty and ashamed of his ancestors' involvement in the Salem witch trials, married Sophia Peabody, and wrote works such as The Scarlet Letter and "The Birthmark."

Dismal Chamber

The dark, horrible room where Nathanial Hawthorne locked himself for 12 years.

Brook Farm

A utopian community that Nathanial Hawthorne briefly joined.

"The Birthmark"

An 1843 short story by Nathanial Hawthorne featuring a detached narrator that forces the reader's imagination to create an "on edge" and eerie feeling as a mad scientist fights nature for perfection.

Aylmer

The mad scientist character in "The Birthmark" who fights nature for perfection by attempting to eradicate his wife's facial mark.

Georgiana

The character in "The Birthmark" who was given a birthmark by nature that becomes more visible whenever she turns pale.

Washington Irving

American author (1783–1859) known for The Sketch Book, "Rip Van Winkle," and "Sleepy Hallow," who did not sign his real name to his works until age 50.

"Jonathan Oldstyle" and "Diedrich knickerbocker"

Pseudonyms used by Washington Irving before he began publishing under his real name.

Sir Walker Scott

The author who inspired and encouraged Washington Irving to read German Romantic folklore and legends.

Rip Van Winkle

A good-natured, kind, obedient, and selfless pushover who is popular with children and helps neighborhood women, but neglects his own farm, fails his family duties, and is constantly lectured by his wife.

American Romanticism (1800–1860)

A literary movement prioritizing feeling and intuition over reason, placing faith in inner experience and imagination, and favoring unspoiled nature over the artificiality of civilization.

Romantic Hero

A literary archetype who rejects established norms and conventions, has been rejected by society, and places the self at the center of their own existence.

Characteristics of the Romantic Hero

Youthful, innocent, intuitive, honorable, lovers of nature, and undertaking quests (exemplified modernly by characters like Indiana Jones, Westley from The Princess Bride, and Luke Skywalker).

Rationalism vs. Romanticism (Views on the City and Countryside)

In Rationalism, the city is seen as a place to find success and self-realization; in Romanticism, the countryside is associated with independence, moral clarity, and healthful living.

Lyric Poetry (in Romanticism)

The highest expression of imagination used to rise to higher truths through the contemplation of the natural world and its underlying beauty and truth.

Gothic Novel (in Romanticism)

A literary form that rises to higher truths through the exploration of the past, old legends, folklore, and exotic or supernatural realms.

Herman Melville

An ex-sailor and new American novelist who wrote Moby Dick.

Henry W. Longfellow

The most popular American poet (1807–1882) who suffered great grief and wrote works such as "Cross of Snow" and "The Tide…".

"The Poet" (Archetypal Figure)

The symbolic persona embodied by Henry W. Longfellow: a wise, grey-bearded figure haloed with good who lives in a world of still-untold romance.

Edgar Allen Poe

Romantic-era author noted in the study review for his work in Dark Romantic literature, specifically the poem "The Raven."