LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2012 final exam—Answers to Question A1 "Review Learning" or "Review Romanticism" final exam assignment

April Bucy

The Everyday Romantic (ism)

          Prior to taking this course I assumed that the period considered the Romantic era of the American Renaissance was not merely a subcategory of a much bigger experience but rather its own movement comprised of its own influences and authors. While there is some degree of truth to this assumption, I found that much of the Literature of the American Renaissance contained hints of the Romantic spirit or style. More than that, however I discovered that theories of Romanticism are not exclusive to one particular period, genre, or author. In fact Emily Dickinson, Washington Irving, Susan B. Warner and Frederick Douglass are all known for different literary styles varying from poetry and popular fiction to the slave narrative, however all of which demonstrate elements of romanticism in their individual works. The moral of this romantic story is centered on the notion that elements of romanticism can be found in even the most unlikely places as demonstrated later in this essay.

 The first day of the course provided a much needed foundation or baseline on romantic history and literary elements as well as the “contradictory gestures and meanings” associated with what could be considered a genre of the American Renaissance and of which I could measure the required reading for the course. What I found most interesting is that even as a Literature major and a somewhat accomplished reader I held my own biases. For instance, I considered Edgar Allan Poe a cut and dry gothic writer only to discover that I was dead wrong (pun intended) and that although myself fallen victim to biographical fallacies, he could be considered the heart and soul of the Romantic in the American Renaissance. Poe’s ballad, “Annabel Lee” for example, the line “She was a child and I was a child” provides readers a sense of both innocence and nostalgia both of which can be considered significant elements of romanticism (Poe 2.1). In all actuality, a close analysis of the poem discloses nearly every element characteristic of romanticism, making it quite possibly the perfect example of Romanticism. For example “In a kingdom by the sea,” aspects of escapism are found while in the line, “But we loved with a love that was more than love” provides a “feeling or emotion more important than logic or experience.” The final stanza of the ballad expresses a quest for something greater by referencing philosophies of desire specifically found in the line “For the moon never beams without bringing me dreams” followed by the line “In her tomb by the side of the sea” which provides evidence of loss. The recent film, “The Raven” suggests that even in 2012, society has an insatiable thirst for Romanticism.  The female protagonist in the film, Emily Hamilton, in a sing song manner quotes directly from the ballad, “Annabel Lee,” and claims that it is “quite possibly the most romantic thing” she has ever heard. Admittedly, prior to the course I considered myself a somewhat hopeless romantic, but I have since revised my definition to hopeful romantic which I believe is more characteristic of Romanticism.

This leads me to the range of romanticism, which is about excess or extravagance and covers a large ground work, including the practical interwoven with the mystical, going into nature, childhood as protected and in contrast adulthood as realistic, knights on quests, turning the wrong into something right or even “once upon a time.” Simply stated the range of the romantic may be easier emphasized by suggesting what it is not; therefore, the romantic is not a definite time or place, the here and now, consumed with industrialization and congestion, obsessed with detail, humorous, or a picture of the real human experience. That being said, it is true that there are elements of Romanticism that contradict the information that I have just given; however that does not imply that the story is any less romantic. For example, Ralph Waldo Emerson in “Remarks at Funeral Services Held for Abraham Lincoln in Concord, April 19, 1865” portrays Abraham Lincoln as a God-like spirit and offers a transcendent, romantic and supernatural ending worthy of the deceased President when he stated, “the ultimate triumph of the best race by the sacrifice of everything which resists the moral laws of the world. It makes its own instruments, creates the man for the time, trains him in poverty, inspires his genius, and arms him for his task. It has given every race its own talent, and ordains that only that race which combines perfectly with the virtues of all shall endure.” Emerson’s remarks are emblematic of romanticism however; they are about a real human experience often considered an element of realism rather than romanticism.

Over the course of the semester I have learned to appreciate the concept of Romanticism specifically for its diverse authors, genres and styles. What I find most interesting is that nearly 2 centuries later, romanticism is still relevant and still thriving in literature, art, music and cinema.