LITR 4232 American Renaissance 2012 Student Midterm Samples #1. Long essay describing and focusing learning, challenges, issues concerning American Renaissance or American Romantic literature. (6-8 paragraphs)

Angela Sims

Branching Out to Something New

          I initially registered for Dr. White’s American Renaissance course because it fit in nicely with my schedule and I needed an American Literature class.  Not sure what sort of material we would be reading, I searched the online Barnes and Nobles store to see which books Dr. White had selected for the semester.  I was intrigued to learn that there were none designated for the course.  Time idled by and finally the semester began and I discovered the literary treasures we would be studying (and that they were accessible for free online!). 

My experience with American authors during the 1820-1860 time periods is limited.  Terms such as gothic, romantic, and sublime were vaguely familiar to me, but putting them in the context of the literature was impossible.  After several weeks, the material finally started making sense to me and I now understand and appreciate the inner workings of all things American Renaissance.  To fully discern the ideals of the American Renaissance, one must know the cultural and historical context of America at that time.  America was at the brink of change.  And that change is wholly present throughout our examined texts. 

          Romanticism is far deeper than the feeling or genre associated with sappy, romantic movies and stories.  It is a literary movement that inspired writers to look and experience the world in a different fashion.  Longing for a something new, characters in these books and poems undergo a journey, reaching for a better life.  There is constant pressure in the storyline, as there are always barriers to overcome and a mission to accomplish.  Stories take place in a far off land; the here and now cannot be romanticized.

          Comparing different author’s concepts of Romanticism has been a key point in understanding all the ideas that encompass the entire realm of what makes a text Romantic.   Poe and Emerson have different styles and subject matter, but they seem to be writing in response to the same historical and cultural changing happening in America.  Upon further examination, many duplicate motifs are found in their works.  The innocence of children is looked at in both pieces.  Escape is also a major theme.  Emerson wants man to escape the confines of his mind and look further to nature and to God, while Irving created a haunting situation that Ichabod was desperate to flee from.      

          The gothic is also found interspersed throughout the Romantic works, but very much so in The Legend of Sleepy Hallow.  Elements such as the contrast of light and dark, scary sounds, and the haunted woods read much like a horror film or Halloween haunt, but these are elements of the gothic.  What is surprising to me is that the romantic transcendentalist view of nature and the gothic view of nature is quite opposing, in essence.  The transcendentalists, much like in Emerson’s Nature, present the idea that God and nature are one in the same.  The gothic narrative, however, exposes the woods and nature as a ghastly realm of deviant spirits, like the headless horseman.  It is difficult to say which principle embodies Romanticism the most, but it is certain that nature plays a significant role.  Also in The Last of the Mohicans, Cooper uses nature as a setting and the intermingling of light and dark, gothic, to contrast the different races presented in the book.  His take on the gothic is using a metaphysical, as well as symbolic representation of character.  The role of symbols is significant to the Romantic literature.  They act as markers signaling the reader.

          Romantic ideals pervade our modern culture.  Especially today, society pushes the limits of excess and extravagance.  Divorce is on the rise because people have delusions about reality.  They desire the things that our culture says they deserve.  The “American Dream” is built upon this romantic idea that all things are possible when you only believe it.  Contemporary song lyrics drip heavily with fantasized ambitions.  The “gothics” wear their pale faces and black clothing.  Artists like Marilyn Manson attract a cult-like following.  And the sublime is a feeling that is coveted by drug users and alcoholics.  The high or escape that is immeasurable to reality brings a sense of awe and wonder.  We cannot break free from the principles that catapulted America’s rise in canonical writers and made our country a powerhouse of literary authority.

          The application is simple:  this course presents material that will be useful for my future career as a high school English teacher.  The concepts and themes that join together the basis of Romanticism can be used to further develop my understanding of literary analysis and the way certain terms define and shape each literary movement.  High school students are exposed to Poe and Dickinson in small amounts, but I hope to challenge my students to further read and appreciate some of these Romantic authors.  The concepts of gothic, sublime, and transcendentalism are still seen in modern philosophy and ideals.  They have stood the test of time and still applicable today.