American Renaissance/Romantic Period
Amber Brooks
ENGL 201-B05
Professor Sarah Horne
Liberty University
3 March 2023
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Literary expression seemed to explode during the time of the American Romantic Period which
took place from 1830-1870. The United States saw rapid growth and an increase in imagination, self-
expression, and individualism. Romanticism, a literary movement that was artistic and creative, was
introduced in Europe and moved into America shortly after. American literature was changed due to the
emotions that Romanticism expressed. Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne were two writes that
altered this movement by using emotions in their writings such as horror, doubt, and shock.
Romanticism was easily embraced by Americans because of the attention to feelings and the relation it
gave them with God. America was still relatively new and unestablished in 1830 giving writers the
opportunity to change direction from the normal political and governmental matters and focusing more
on the matters of life. Although America separated themselves politically from Britain, we were still
captivated by British Literature but was ready to invent a new name for themselves that was unique to
American and not rely on European influences. More novels, stories, and poetry came from this period
as many authors were able to tap into their imagination and show their individuality. Edgar Allan Poe
was one of the authors to greatly influence this period by writing about what was happening around
him.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809, Edgar Alan Poe was a short story writer who
was acknowledged for his tales of mystery and ghastly stories. Both of Poe’s parents died before he was
turned three years old and became a foster child to John and Frances Allan in Richmond, Virginia. Edgar
Allan Poe began studying at the University of Virginia in 1826 before ultimately joining the Army but was
honorable discharged shortly after. He went on to release a volume of poems from 1827 – 1829. In
1831, his third book simply titled “Poems” was published and other well known writers started to take
note of his efforts and realized his literary greatness. Poe spent most of his developmental years in the
southern cities of Richmond and Baltimore, giving him a southerner temperament and disposition. In
1835, Poe began supplying pivotal findings to the Richmond Southern Literary Messenger, he later
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became editor. He went on to marry his cousin, Virginia Clemm in 1836. Poe worked as an editor and
reviewer for many distinguished newspapers and periodicals, later going on to own and write for the
Broadway Journal Magazine in October 1845
Edgar Allan Poe released The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym, in 1838 and Arabesque, a short story
collection, in 1839. But his poem “The Raven” that was published in the New York Evening Mirror in
1845 is what brought significant recognition. In 1845, he released another book of short stories titled
Tales and a third edition of poems, The Raven and Other Poems. He continued to write and work
towards his goal of owning a magazine after the death of his wife in 1847. Overcome with grief, Poe
struggled financially and suffered from poor health, he died October 7, 1849 in Baltimore. Almost every
prominent newspaper in the United States observed the sudden death of Poe.
Edgar Allan Poe was often thought of as bizarre and a lover of morbid beauty, many assumed it
was because of his stressful life as a journalist. In modern day, Poe is thought of as one of the foremost
ancestors of modern literature, such as detective and science fiction.
Romanticism stems from the French word romaunt which is a romantic story told in verse.
Romanticism centers around emotions and the writer’s life. ” Romanticism celebrated the primitive and
elevated "regular people" as being deserving of celebration, which was an innovation at the time.
Romanticism also fixated on nature as a primordial force and encouraged the concept of isolation as
necessary for spiritual and artistic development.”
Romanticism took place at various times with different countries. German romantics were
productive during the late 1700’s until the early 1800’s. German Romantics were fascinated with nature,
feelings, beauty as it naturally was, and medieval times. The English Romantics were a little later in time,
starting in 1790 until 1820. Their approach was man’s place in nature. While in English Romanticism, it
started out in the late 1700’s through the mid-1800s and showed emphasis on emotion and
individualism. Nonetheless, a central feature of all the Romanticism period is emotion and passion.
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References
Carnes, & Meyers, J. (1993). Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy. The American Historical Review, 98(5),
1682–1682. https://doi.org/10.2307/2167223
Edgar Allan Poe, 1809-1849. Documenting the American South. Dameron, J.
https://www.docsouth.unc.edu/southlit/poe/bio.html
Kennedy. (1996). Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Legacy. American Literary History., 8(3).
Ross. (1993). Breaking the Period: Romanticism, Historical Representation, and the Prospect of Genre.
ANQ., 6(2-3), 121–131. https://doi.org/10.1080/0895769X.1993.10542819
Somers, J. (2019) Romanticism in Literature: Definition and Examples.
https://www.thoughtco.com/romanticism-definition-4777449
