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American
Literature: Romanticism Student Midterm Samples 2015 1. Long Essay |
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Niki Bippen
March 23, 2014
“Defining American
Romanticism: The Problems with Labels”
For as long as I can
remember, I have always been fascinated with literature.
When other children were out running around and
playing games, I could be found curled up in a tree (I was an avid climber and
outdoors woman) with whatever book I could get my hands onto.
Before I went to bed each night as a child, I
would force one of my parents or my brother to read to me until I fell asleep so
it was no surprise to anyone when I majored in literature.
While I had a deep appreciation for all genres
and subject matter, I was always drawn to American literature, particularly the
Transcendentalists and Romantics.
I was fascinated with the idea of forging a
path for myself and getting back to nature.
I was also engulfed by the dark, haunting works
of Edgar Allan Poe and Hawthorne but I suppose this is due to the fact that my
brother is twelve years older than me and refused to read me “Clifford the Big
Red Dog”.
Instead, he took immense joy in reading me
Stephen King in hopes I would have nightmares.
I should however thank my brother because it
was these books that would later lead me to Edgar Allan Poe, Emily Dickinson,
and H.P. Lovecraft, all of whom I deeply admire.
When I was first
introduced to the Transcendentalists and Romantics I was in high school and was
instantly hooked.
I longed to go back to nature and found myself
in the woods.
While I sat devouring everything the teacher
said and promising myself to find more of these glorious texts, I realized that
an overwhelming amount of students hated what was presented to them.
I also found that many did not understand the
idea of going back to nature or why a lot of the dark texts were considered
romantic.
“Stupid tree huggers” and “how is this creepy
dude describing the death of a loved one a romantic text” were often overheard.
I assumed it was just because we were in high
school and the students were much more worried about what their friends were
doing later.
However, this attitude lingered even in college
when students would groan out loud upon finding out that American Romanticism
was a required course.
American Romanticism
stretches itself to encompass a wide variety of themes and it can be difficult
to say what exactly is or is not romantic.
We have elements of nature, wrath, gothic, and
the sublime all floating around under the label.
This can make it tricky to distinguish what is
considered Romantic.
We are presented with texts that encourage
self-reliance, simplicity, and a love for nature while also being presented with
works that tell us that “the wrath of God burns against [man], their damnation
does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is
now hot, ready to receive them” (Jonathan Edwards, “Sinners in the Hands of an
Angry God”).
The issue then becomes what connects Jonathan
Edwards and Ralph Waldo Emerson?
Why are they both considered romantic?
The answer to this is the fact that they both
incorporate elements of the sublime into their pieces.
American Romanticism houses sublime, gothic,
nature, individualism, and an appreciation for the human soul.
All of these terms/themes are what ultimately
defines American Romanticism.
Another
problem that arises is most students tend to think of love stories with Fabio on
the cover when they hear the term but this is not always the case as Emily
Dickinson, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne demonstrate with their
texts.
Their works are dark, probing, and macabre.
How is that “the pale fingers became of the
transparent waxen hue of the grave... I saw that she must die” by Edgar Allan
Poe considered in the very least Romantic?
After all, that line is probably not one you
would want to use on your lover during Valentine’s Day.
The answer is because works like this
effortlessly latch onto the sublime, nature, and obviously the gothic.
All of these terms define American Romanticism.
Just like previously stated, American
Romanticism incorporates a wide variety of themes to define itself.
The works presented, regardless of how
different they appear on the surface, all incorporate these values.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s line “[7] of this pure
nature every man is at some time sensible. Language cannot paint it with his
colors. It is too subtle. It is undefinable, unmeasurable, but we know that it
pervades and contains us. We know that all spiritual being is in man” is a
perfect example of sublime and deserves to belong in the American Romanticism
canon just as much as Edgar Allan Poe.
A nitpicky
issue that a lot of students seem to have as well regarding American Romanticism
texts is the fact that they tend to find the material dry and boring.
While most everyone tends to adore Edgar Allan
Poe, many simply do not like the wordiness of Walt Whitman or the essay styled
writings of Emerson.
The texts are not exciting, action-packed, or
easily read in some instances.
They require your full attention, demand
concentration, and force you to take a look at the bigger picture.
American Romanticism makes a plea with the soul
and begs it to open its eyes.
If you are reading for mere pleasure and not a
deeper meaning, the works can completely pass you by.
Edwards, Thoreau, Emerson, and Poe all implore
the reader to seek individualism and define themselves according to the longings
of their soul; not society.
Unless you are prepared to go on this spiritual
journey with one of the writers as your guide, you will likely fall short of
understanding and fully appreciating the works.
The problem
thus becomes how do you get students to not only appreciate these works but to
like them?
While most can at least accept the material for
what it is and also understand that it contributed to literature as a whole,
many struggle to like the authors presented.
Dickinson is hard to understand, Emerson and
Thoreau are dry, tree hugging hippies, Edwards was not hugged enough as a child,
Whitman was wordy, and the list goes on and on.
Unfortunately, there is no clear answer.
The way this class is broken up and structured
is probably the best shot anyone has at convincing students that this stuff is
good.
Presentations, class discussions, background
information, breaking up the dry texts with exciting authors like Poe, and a
focus on terms/themes is a great approach.
All of this helps students gain a deeper
understanding and appreciation of the texts.
When given authors like Thoreau as a
presentation, the presenter can showcase the material in a lighter manner,
breaking up the essay-like approach he tends to take and make it easier to
understand.
In short, I
think the American Romanticism label can be misleading to many students who
assume that what they will be presented with is love stories.
I think bringing that general lack of knowledge
to the class hinders their experience greatly and the fact that it covers such a
broad range of themes can be overwhelming; especially to someone who has a
general distaste for literature.
As for those who do enjoy literature,
Romanticism can be difficult to appreciate because the texts do tend to bounce
around between themes and the texts can be admittedly dry (aside from Edgar
Allan Poe who everyone seems to appreciate). These works tug at our heartstrings
and awaken our soul to new ideas; we just have to be ready to take the next step
and allow the text to speak to us as something more than just words on a page or
required course. After
all, it was Thoreau and Emerson who helped me discover Panentheism and I have
never looked back.
Without them, I would have continued to feel
like an outsider who could never find the right niche in religion.
