Romanticism

    • Romanticism in American Literature 1830-1865

      Overview

      • Speaker: Dr. Mehran Soykan, Assistant Professor of English

      Definition of Romanticism

      • Literary and Artistic Movement: Originated in the late 18th century.

      • Core Focus: Emphasizes emotion, individualism, and nature.

      • Rejection of Enlightenment Ideals: Moves away from reason and rationality.

      Key Characteristics

      • Individualism and Personal Experience: Celebrates unique perspectives and personal narratives.

      • Nature's Beauty and the Sublime: Highlights the appreciation of the natural world and its awe-inspiring elements.

      • Intuition and Imagination: Elevates emotional and imaginative faculties over logic.

      • Supernatural Elements: Incorporates the mysterious and the fantastical into narratives.

      Romanticism vs. Classicism

      • Classicism:

        • Objectivity, stability, and restraint characterizing works.

        • Emphasizes reason, clarity, logical organization, and universality.

      • Romanticism:

        • Subjectivity, change, and freedom dominant themes.

        • Values imagination, intuition, emotion, symbolism, myth, and individualism.

      Romanticism in the American Context

      • Inception: Began in early 19th century America.

      • Influence of American Frontier: Responses to the limitless possibilities found in the New World.

      • Prominent Themes:

        • Freedom and rebellion.

        • Mysticism and individual isolation.

      Key Figures in American Romanticism

      Walt Whitman (1819–1892)

      • Famous Work: "Leaves of Grass".

      • Themes: Celebrates beauty in daily life, democracy, and the common individual.

      • Relationship with Nature: Emphasizes human sensuality connected to the natural world.

      • Example from Poetry: "Song of Myself".

        • Begins with: "I celebrate myself, and sing myself…"

        • Focuses on self-awareness, interconnectedness, and nature.

      Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)

      • Distinctive Style: Personal, introspective, and compact forms.

      • Themes: Concentrates on death, immortality, and solitude.

      • Imagery and Symbolism: Employs vivid imagery from nature to convey deeper meanings.

      • Examples from Poetry:

        • "Because I could not stop for Death" - personifies death and meditates on the afterlife.

        • "There’s a Certain Slant of Light" - uses light metaphorically to reflect psychological and spiritual states.

      Creative Imagination

      • Role of Imagination in Poetry:

        • Shakespeare asserts that the lunatic, lover, and poet are characterized by imagination. The poet interprets and shapes the unknown into tangible forms.

      • William Blake:

        • Concept: "To see a World in a Grain of Sand / And a heaven in a Wild Flower…" emphasizes finding vast meaning and eternity in small, everyday things.

      Significant Poem: "I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud" by William Wordsworth

      • First Stanza:

        • Reflects on seeing a crowd of golden daffodils while wandering.

        • Creates vivid imagery of the daffodils dancing in the breeze, enlightening the reader about the harmonious feeling of nature.

      • Second Stanza:

        • Describes the continuous line of daffodils next to the bay, reinforcing the beauty and abundance of nature.

      • Third Stanza:

        • Personal Reflection: Describes the lasting impression the sight of daffodils has had on him, bringing joy and introspective bliss in solitude.