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LITR 4326 Early American Literature Model Assignments |
Final Exam Essays 2016 Sample answers for 2b. Review & compare 3-4 periods of study (Renaissance, Seventeenth Century, Enlightenment, Romanticism) |
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Nona Olivarez
An Examination of Periods through Literature
When I began thinking about studying different periods of literature, it
reminded me of studying genres. Like genres, periods are fluid in definition as
they tend to overlap and run together. Periods do not exist as rules to confine
a work of art; instead periods exist as mere guidelines to describe a work of
art. As Tiffany Robinson states in her essay, “A Literary Journey across the
Ages”, “each period is a stepping stone for the next era.” And so by studying
periods, one is able to study a part of American history and how literature has
built and shaped the America we know today.
Throughout the semester we have learned about multiple periods, and for
the purpose of this easy, I specifically want to focus on the Renaissance, the
Enlightenment, and Romanticism. To begin the Renaissance period was a time of
rebirth and revival due to the fact the period primarily focused on the revival
of Classical learning and art, specifically motifs and models from ancient Rome
and Greece. For instance, Botticelli’s
Birth of Venus depicts motifs from Greek mythology, and thus exists as a
perfect example of the attempt to give rebirth to such ancient ideas in an
artistic composition. In addition to the rebirth of ancient motifs, the
Renaissance is also known for the beginning of modernity. Instead of everyone
living in a one particular manner under one single truth, people began living in
a variety of ways under multiple truths. For this reason the Renaissance was a
time of exploration, science, literary and artistic movement, religious
diversity and freedom, social and economic mobility, and individualism.
Similarly, the Enlightenment was a period of scientific revolution and modern
institutions and values. Great things were happening for America all around like
modern astronomy, biology, chemistry, electricity, fossil fuels, nutrition, and
medicine. In addition important documents like the
U.S. Declaration of Independence
(1776) and the Constitution (1789)
were written as democracy, self-government, and meritocracy came into being.
Adam Smith published his famous book the
Wealth of Nations which essentially exists today as “the bible of
capitalism.” Furthermore, Thomas Paine writes
The Age of Reason,
The Crisis, and
Common Sense during the Enlightenment
period; each one depicting a characteristic of the period. For instance
The Age of Reason discusses Deism, a
religious and/or intellectual movement during the Enlightenment,
The Crisis discusses the history and
politics of America, and lastly Common
Sense discusses The American Revolution. Undoubtedly the Enlightenment
period was a time of great men and great ideas. As Adam Glasgow states in his
essay, “Glancing Back in Time”, “it is difficult to really drive home how vital
this period was.” Truly the Enlightenment period was perhaps one of the most
important periods because of the long-term cultural effects. These ideals from
the Enlightenment period continue to shape our society even today due to the
fact the foundation of modern Western culture was established during this time.
After
the Enlightenment period, America experiences a transition to the Romantic era.
The Romantic era continued the scientific movement but extended the
Enlightenment’s interest in science “to
project a spiritual dimension, which reflects, satisfies, or challenges human
longing for transcendental meaning and emotional attachment instead of objective
detachment.” In other words, the Romantic Movement was much more interested in
human feelings, emotions, and passions, and through works of literature a
reflection of the human self could be depicted. For example, the novel
Charlotte Temple by Susanna Rowson
tells the story of a young girl who is romanticized by the idea of choosing her
own destiny by defying social traditions and constructs. Charlotte doesn’t act
on reason and logic, instead her feelings and emotions take priority as she
allows her imagination to romanticize her potential life with Montraville. Of
course reality sets in and Charlotte’s romantic expectations of choosing her own
path are disappointed. For Charlotte there really isn’t a happy ending,
Montraville leaves her, Belcour takes her money and runs, and she dies right as
Mr. Temple arrives to bring her and the baby back home. Thus Rowson creates
characters who submit to the attraction of sin because their desire drives their
personal motivation. Accordingly Rowson portrays the dangers of succumbing to
sin as characters like Charlotte and Mademoiselle La Rue are condemned to death
or poverty by the end of the novel. In addition Rowson displays romanticism
through idealizing common people, like Charlotte’s parents, the Temples, who act
as a dependable source of true common sense and positive tradition. And so
Rowson explores the dangers of allowing passions to take priority over reason
and the consequence of that misguided transcendence.
On the other side of Charlotte
Temple is the novel Edgar Huntly,
by Charles Brockden Brown. Edgar Huntly
portrays the gothic style of Romantic Literature in which intense emotions and
complex psychology are examined. The main character Edgar is investigating who
killed his fiancée’s brother, Waldegrave when he meets Clithero. Through the
character Clithero and his memories of past crimes, Edgars repressed fears come
to surface, creating a doppelganger effect. Both
Clithero and Edgar suppress their feelings and desires when awake, and delve
into their desires, fears, and motivations while sleepwalking. Therefore
Clithero in many ways reflects what will happen to Edgar if his dark, deep
unconscious impulses continue to oppose his conscious awareness. Thus the novel
Edgar Huntly portrays the complexity
of the human psyche in a gothic style that allows the author to explore the
darker side of human emotions.
Overall, the influence of the Romantic era is just as influential as the
Enlightenment and the Renaissance. Glasgow states, “The influence of this era on
modern entertainment is as drastic as the Enlightenment’s influence on modern
technology.” Therefore each period acts
as a mode of transportation to the next, and more importantly, each period lends
to the shaping of modern culture today. For this reason periods should be viewed
as building blocks to historical consciousness in the way that allows one to
achieve historical depth by correlating historical influences with present
influences.
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