LITR 5535 American Romanticism UHCL 2005 research proposals

Possible topic 1 (For Option 2: Research Journal):
In the spirit of reuse, I would like to do a Research Journal on the Sublime in American Romanticism. It is a topic I have just scratched the surface on in my midterm and I would like to delve deeper into the topic. The sublime's combination of pleasure, pain, and grandeur are things that I hope by researching further into its origin and its changes over the years I may better understand its possibilities. I have had only a fleeting concept of the sublime and by researching in more detail I can hopefully come to understand the sublime's many possibilities and limitations

Possible topic 2 (For Option 1: Research Essay):
In the spirit of learning something new for my Research Essay, I have a great interest in the Byronic Heroine and how female heroines of this type have evolved and begun to take over the theaters, literature, and the small screen. It is a topic that has intrigued me since I saw Alien many years ago. The idea that a woman would be the hero and a Byronic heroine at that was something new and exciting. I look forward to researching the origin and development of the female Byronic heroine and her place in the modern cinema and literature.

As is probably evidenced by now, I have a keen interest in world mythologies, folklores and religions. The quest for our genesis, not only as a species but also as individuals has always fascinated me; I have always felt that, as several philosophers have noted, without knowledge of your past it is difficult to know the direction to take for the future. As much of a cliche as that may be, it has always served me well, not only in how I approach intellectual and artistic endeavors, but also how I approach life. With that in mind, I would like to focus on two Washington Irving stories for my research project: “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle”.

Although Irving’s works may not technically be classified as Romantic, I believe that they both contain several elements which would lay the foundation for future American Romantic texts. In addition, both texts contain several elements of mythology and the supernatural which I would like to explore in relation to the overall Romantic themes established for the course. In my preliminary research I have come across several topics which suggest to me that there is enough criticism available to make this project viable, but, since I have not yet finished reading everything, I am unable to confirm that for certain.

I guess that my main question for you is, in your opinion, by focusing on just two works, am I limiting myself too much, or do you recommend that I perhaps include either more of Irving’s works or works from other authors (Hawthorne? Poe?) for a more balanced criticism?

After reading the poem required for class, I found myself reading every other poem by Sylvia Plath in our anthology. I am fascinated by her life--how the reality and the myth play together through her work (like Poe), and I am curious to see what is real and what is not. For example, her father is constantly referred to as a Nazi in her poetry, but in reality, all our little biography said is that he wrote a treatise on bumble bees. Not that the two preclude each other, but I'd like to find out the truth, if possible. Also, we spoke in class about her illness and the lack of treatment. How was she treated, if at all? Could she have written if she lived now and was treated with Prozac, etc? I am also amazed at her freeverse, lyrical style and how musical it is. I would like to see who else was writing like that at the time, if she was a pioneer of that style, and frankly, if anyone else was as good as she was.

I would use biographies to try to find factual information about her life, and I have already found several interesting articles that would help answer some of the above questions. Janet Badia and Paul Breslin both write about her poetry and autobiography and how to sort through the myths. John Gordon writes about her relationship with her father, and I even found a short story written in 2004 about her and Ted Hughes by Bertram Wyatt-Brown.

When I started taking this class, I was unaware of Romanticism in so many films and TV shows currently, but as we discussed our course objectives, I began to see the American Romanticism of the 19th century alive and well today.

The TV series 24 encapsulates many of the course objectives. I would like look deeper into the gothic (especially in film noir), the Byronic hero, the woman's romance, and the romantic spirit to see how well 24 fits the Romantic mold. I am also curious about how these aspects of Romanticism have been altered or taken to a different level in film and TV recently (still using 24 as my main source). For example, 24 is certainly gothic in color and feel--it is a very dark show (take a look at the webpage http://www.fox.com/24/), and each season has a femme fatale. For these and other reasons, it could easily be classed as film noir. A common convention of film noir is the shot of the light through the venetian blinds onto a wall, across a person's face, etc to produce a certain psychological effect on the viewer. The camera work in 24 takes this idea to a new place: scenes are shot so that the viewer is looking through the venetian blinds or the crack of a door, producing the eerie effect of the watcher feeling watched. As for the Byronic hero, I find it very interesting that we get a chance to see Jack Bauer (the hero) change from the Romantic hero to the Byronic hero--a new twist on an old idea. I'd like to see if this has been done before and also look further into the Byronic hero in general to see how well Jack fits this description. I would be using a lot of background sources to understand these concepts well enough to apply them successfully to 24. I would watch some old film noir to get a better feel for what it was like so I could compare the two. I also found a couple current articles about 24, but I haven't had a chance to read them yet, and I'm not sure how well they will fit into my ideas.

So, here is my dilemma--I have tons of information about Sylvia Plath, but I don't know how well I can tie her back to Romanticism. She uses gothic imagery, and her life was romanticized--is that enough? On the other hand, I can hardly resist 24 :)--it is rife with Romantic characters, plotlines, techniques--everything! However, current information about the show itself will be hard to find in the form of anything but reviews. Is background information enough? Also, I know I should narrow the topic down, but I'm not exactly sure where to go with it just yet. Film noir and the Byronic hero seem most promising so far. You mentioned that a topic like this would make a better essay--why? Just curious.

I am writing a research essay evaluating Ralph W. Emerson's work Nature. The primary text used is the facsimile of the first edition of this work. Emerson's Nature is significant because he attempted to formulate philosophical views about the unity of natural law and its relationship to individual humanity and society. Emerson rejected the rational views of science that were so popular in his time, and created a new philosophy that called transcendentalism. I wish to explore the origins of Emerson's discovery of a universal natural law, and determine how he develops and correlates his philosophical ideas to human experience. In addition, I will address what significance his message has for human beings. This essay will also evaluate the Romantic ideology of Emerson, determine Emerson's influence on the 19^th and 20^th centuries, and review Nature as a literary genre.

It is my desire to find and evaluate philosophically how Emerson develops his views about the universal natural law and its application to everyday experience. I will be using standard commentary texts about Emerson's Nature, and supplement these books with any relevant journal articles and reference books. Although Emerson's philosophy is no longer in vogue, many books available are a collection of literary criticism the past two centuries about his ideas and views. Finally, two excellent biographical books by Brooks and Allen reveal insights about Emerson's vision, and his hope to teach human beings the importance of obeying natural law.

For my research paper, I would like to use stories showing a woman’s desire for more than just the here and now used as cautionary tales which show a form of redemption in the end. For primary texts I would like to use Charlotte Temple and The Scarlet Letter (is that OK?). I have an idea about bringing in A Narrative of Captivity, but I need to think it through a little more before I make the decision to definitely do it. Somehow, I’d also like to tie in a slave narrative within this idea.

I was planning for this to be a formal paper; however, I’m thinking the idea might lend itself quite nicely to a journal topic. What are your thoughts/ feelings on this?

I plan to journey through the genre of Romantic Lyric Poetry, and present my findings in journal form. Bedford defines the lyric poem is a "brief, melodic and imaginative poem" ( Bedford ).

I plan to discuss the transatlantic origins of the lyric poem, its migration to America , its primary contributors, and its impact on American Culture.

In addition to this empirical study, as individual poems are located and woven into my journal, I will surely be inspired to comment on my interpretations them. I shall then compare my interpretations with critical reviews on the particular pieces.

The topic I will be researching is "The Elements of Gothic Romance", including the reoccurence of certain themes (ex. good vs evil), the Byronic hero, symbols (shadows, spectral figures, the forest, architecture, black and white colors), the sublime, a brief history of its European roots and the psychological aspect. My research project will be in the option 2 (journal) form. I would like to learn more about this style in order to incorporate it into my own stories and writings, which are generally Gothic Romance in nature, but I would like to extend it to a deeper level by studying classic Gothic Romance Literature. I will research these elements mainly in critical digests, advanced scholarly articles, short stories such as "The Minister's Black Veil", Nathaniel Hawthorne, "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow", Washington Irving, "Fall of the House of Usher", Edgar Allan Poe, the novel "The Last of the Mohicans", James Fenimore Cooper, and the musical "The Phantom of The Opera" by Gaston LeRoux, among others. Could you recommend additional important American Gothic Romance novels, movies, or short stories I should include in my paper?

To show thru: Option 1, Essay: Cooper's treatment of Magua as possibly a romantic “Byronic Hero.” I think Cooper's treatment of Magua is very complex, both romantically and historically. Magua's reactions, and actions in novel are at many levels. Many romantic and historical perspectives surround him, and will be examined to answer the following question: Is Magua a villain on his own volition, or a “Byronic Hero” responding to injustices?

To show thru: Option 2, Journal: Different perspectives, romantic/historical, of white/black relations in the South through: Harris's treatment of Blacks thru his Uncle Remus romantic/myth methods, versus:

Chesnutt's more realistic, yet, highly romantic, treatment in Conjure Woman, and Marrow of Tradition. I realize these are slightly after 1850s, and outside of the Romanticism time frame, but I think they are ripe for a romantic perspective/look at a white mythical approach vs. a mixed black perspective of Southern and plantation life. The journal sources will be expanded and not limited to Harris, and Chesnutt, and perhaps go forward into the 20^th, and 21^stcenturies.

For my research project, I intend to write a critical essay (Option 1), with the goal of fulfilling Objective 1a, Romantic Spirit, identifying female rebellion in American Romanticism. My primary sources will be Charlotte: A Tale of Truth and The Last of the Mohicans. For secondary sources, I may use some or all of the following books (as well as journal articles): the revised version of Cathy Davidson’s Revolution and the Word, Julia Stern’s The Plight of Feeling: Sympathy and Dissent in the Early American Novel, Caroline Wells Healey Dalls’ The Romance of the Association; or, One Last Glimpse of Charlotte Temple and Eliza Wharton, and Daniel Peck’s New Essays on The Last of the Mohicans.

I would like to expand my midterm topic of female rebellion in early American literature. In an era of social restraint, with expectations of blindly-dutiful daughters, some, such as Charlotte and Cora, find alternative avenues to express rebellion. For Charlotte, passive rebellion is her only option, if indeed her silent inaction can be construed as rebellion, while Cora’s rebellion is found in her speech, action, and in her very nature.

This topic appeals to me, among other reasons, because even though social and familial expectations have changed, many women continue to face a narrowing of options and choices. Attempting to understand how Charlotte and Cora dealt with such constraints and how they were affected by the limitations by examining their speech, action (or inaction), and natures and by exploring authorial intent will hopefully shed light on early American women’s issues and on issues that contemporary women continue to face.

My question concerns primary sources. Should I limit my discussion to Charlotte and Cora, or should I consider other women characters?

It is with this course that questions of racial ambiguity have been raised, particularly with the Cooper novel. But, along the way there have been mentions of racial attitudes alluded to in several other selections. With most Americans, the first thoughts of black/white tensions began with the Civil War. But questions of racial issues began to cloud much earlier. Though tensions began earlier, they became more focused when slavery became the primary Civil War issue.

I wish to explore when the black/white conflict often turned from black and white to shades of gray. With quiet intensity the cauldron of racial tension bubbled with attitudes and actions of our founding fathers and early statesmen. I will use class notes, class reading selections, historical reference books, and early historical fiction from the pre-Romantic and Romantic period which may allude to these tensions or at least address racial questions prior and including the Civil War period. I wish to explore the racial climate of the time and the attitudes of the people represented. Whether the black and white relationship was a definite issue, one just whispered about, ignored, “swept under the carpet”, or a secrecy or privacy issue as in Thomas Jefferson. It is my intention to explore the lives where the seeds of prejudice were first planted, and if, indeed, were planted before we became the United States of America. What was England’s opinion pre-Revolutionary War on racial issues or was it ambiguous? Did the seeds of racial prejudice and disquiet grow on the way over to establish the new colonies? I would like to find out if slavery really did come as a result of a search for financial solvency in the South. Overall, I would like to investigate the origins of racial tensions and appropriateness of relationships in early Romantic literature and those years surrounding.