Romantic Elements of the First Harvest
After the revolutionary, America experienced great political, economical, and social changes. Because of these changes, a spirit of nationalism developed. This sense of nationalism was created in literature as well. There was a shift from classicism, which emphasized reason over imagination, to romanticism, which emphasized emotions and the individual. Authors of the early 1800's used a faith in nature, the past, and human psychology to express the ideals of romantic literature.A faith in nature is one characteristic used by authors of the early 1800's. James Fenimore Cooper is an excellent example of this. In his story "The Deerslayer" he states, "scalp for a scalp, life for life, blood for blood, is one law, to feed her young another. (Cooper 144). In this quote, Cooper recites basic law of nature. It is evident that he portrays these laws in his story to express his love of nature. Another author who portrays a faith in nature is William Cullen Bryant. Bryant shows this in his poems "To a Waterfowl" and "Thanatopsis". In his poem, "To a
Washington Irving also likes to use the past in his literature. In his story, "The Devil and Tom Walker", he states "Everybody remembers the time of governor Belchur when money was particularly scarce." (Irving 133) This excerpt is clearly a fact of the past and Irving using this proves that he liked to use the element of past in his work. By the previous quotes, you can tell that both Irving and Poe were similar in their literature styles. The literature of the early 1800's used human psychology in the past, and a faith in nature to express the psychology of Romanticism. The shift from Classicism to Romanticism allowed authors to express themselves more creatively. Stories and poems, therefore, became more adventurous, intriquing, and exciting. Because of Romanticism, a new national literature was developed. Waterfowl", he states "There is a power whose care teaches thy way along that pathless coast". (Bryant 151) In this quote, Bryant is sharing his belief that nature and religion are one. Another quote by Bryant which is stated in "T
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Approximate Word count = 706
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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