American Romanticism

Romantic Movement in America

• The Romantic movement reached America around 1820, 20 years after William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge's publication of Lyrical Ballads.
• In America, Romanticism coincided with national expansion and the discovery of a distinctive American voice.
• The movement solidified a national identity and nurtured the masterpieces of "the American Renaissance."

Key Romantic Ideas

• Art was seen as inspiration, with a spiritual and aesthetic dimension of nature.
• Metaphors of organic growth emphasized the importance of expressive art for the individual and society.
• Art was believed to be capable of expressing universal truth, superior to science.
• The development of the self became a major theme, with self-awareness as a primary method.

The Concept of Self

• The idea of "self" was redefined, suggesting self-awareness, self-realization, self-expression, and self-reliance.
• The self was seen as one with all humanity, leading to a moral duty to reform social inequalities and relieve human suffering.

Psychological and Artistic Aspects

• The unique, subjective self led to the development of exceptional artistic effects and techniques to evoke heightened psychological states.
• The concept of the "sublime" produced feelings of awe, reverence, vastness, and a power beyond human comprehension.

American Democracy and Romanticism

• Romanticism was seen as affirmative and suitable for American democracy, stressing individualism and affirming the value of the common person.
• The Romantic spirit looked to the inspired imagination for its aesthetic and ethical values.

Transcendentalism

• The Transcendentalist movement was a reaction against 18th-century rationalism and a manifestation of the general humanitarian trend of 19th-century thought.
• The movement was based on a fundamental belief in the unity of the world and God.
• The doctrine of self-reliance and individualism developed through the belief in the identification of the individual soul with God.