The famous or, one might say, infamous line from Edgar Allen Poe's “The Raven”: “Quoth the Raven 'Nevermore',” haunts the psyche and characterizes the Dark Romanticism literary movement (Probst 282-6). Prevalent in the early to mid 19th century, this movement continued to gain momentum for decades due partially to the success of Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Likewise, this popularity can be attributed to the subconscious interest of fear and pain (“Dark Romanticism and the Gothic Literature Movement” 6). Dark Romanticism ideals are not unique to this genre. There are many similarities and differences between Dark Romanticism and other literary movements such as Transcendentalism, Realism, and Puritanism.
Dark Romanticism is characterized by its morbid and supernatural themes; it normally references the self-destructive nature of mankind (“Dark Romanticism and the Gothic Literature Movement” 6). To Dark Romantics, the world is inherently evil (“Nathaniel Hawthorne & Dark Romanticism” 6). Any attempt to make things better will inevitably fail (“Dark Romanticism and the Gothic Literature Movement” 6).
To continue with “The Raven,” the narrator is plagued by the loss of Lenore, his lover. The Raven serves as a manifestation of this pain and as a response to his grief. He is drawn deeper into this grief as the story progresses until he explodes in a fit of rage and lastly depression. The constant response of “Nevermore” from the Raven is rather unsettling to the reader because it matches the questions asked by the narrator in his descent to madness (Probst 282-6). “The Raven” is one of the most popular works from the Dark Romanticism period. Other notable works include: “The Fall of the House of Usher”...
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...e puritanism, and it extends through realism and the present day. Its influence will most likely spread onwards into future literary eras.
Works Cited
Bright Hub Education Writer. A Look at American Romanticism vs. Transcendentalism: Literary & Philosophical Movements. Bright Hub Education, 24 Jan. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
Dark Romanticism and the Gothic Literature Movement. Corona-Norco Unified School District, n.d. Powerpoint. 18 Mar. 2014.
Nathaniel Hawthorne & Dark Romanticism. View Park Preparatory High School, n.d. Powerpoint. 18 Mar. 2014.
Probst, Robert et al. Elements of Literature: Fifth Course. Vol. 5. Austin, TX.: Holt, Rinehart & Winston, 1997. Print. Elements of Literature.
Romanticism. Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 26 Dec. 2013. Web. 18 Mar. 2014.
The Dark Romantics or the Gothic Romantics. Scott County Schools, n.d. Powerpoint. 18 Mar. 2014.
Edgar Allan Poe tells the story of a bereaved man who is grieving for his lost love in the poem, “The Raven.” During a dark and gloomy night, the man hears a knock at his door. Hoping that it is Lenore, his dead lover, coming back to him, he goes to open the door. Unfortunately, he is only met with emptiness and disappointment. Shortly after, a raven flies into the room through the window and lands on the bust of Pallas. The man begins to converse with this dark and mysterious bird. In response to everything the man says, the raven repeats one dreadful word: “Nevermore.” The symbolism of the raven being connected to death, and the man’s interaction with the dark bird reveals to readers that he is going through the stages of dying. Subsequently, the repetition of the bird’s one worded reply makes it known that the man will never see Lenore again because there is no afterlife.
Gothic Literature was a natural progression from romanticism, which had existed in the 18th Century. Initially, such a ‘unique’ style of literature was met with a somewhat mixed response; although it was greeted with enthusiasm from members of the public, literary critics were much more dubious and sceptical.
The term ‘Gothic’ conjures a range of possible meanings, definitions and associations. It explicitly denotes certain historical and cultural phenomena. Gothicism was part of the Romantic Movement that started in the eighteenth century and lasted about three decades into the nineteenth century. For this essay, the definition of Gothic that is applicable is: An 18th century literary style characterized by gloom and the supernatural. In the Gothic novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, a wide range of issues are explored. Frankenstein represents an entirely new vision of the female Gothic, along with many other traditional themes such as religion, science, colonialism and myth.
The blending of terror and romance in Gothic Literature was used in a unique combination to attract and entice the reader into the story. The terror in the literature helps the reader explore their imagination and form their own picture setting of what is happening. Using romance in the story also keeps the reader's attention because of the unknown and the curiosity of what happens next. The Gothic writing became popular after the Romantic period because readers were still a...
During the American literary movement known as Transcendentalism, many Americans began to looking deeper into positive side of religion and philosophy in their writing. However, one group of people, known as the Dark Romantics, strayed away from the positive beliefs of Transcendentalism and emphasized their writings on guilt and sin. The most well-known of these writers is Edgar Allan Poe. Poe was a dark romantic writer during this era, renown for his short stories and poems concerning misery and macabre. His most famous poem is “The Raven”, which follows a man who is grieving over his lost love, Lenore. In this poem, through the usage of tonal shift and progression of the narrator’s state of mind, Poe explores the idea that those who grieve will fall.
The. Gothic Art: Glorious Visions. Upper Saddle River (NJ): Prentice Hall, 1996. Print. The. Camille, Michael.
Dark Romanticism has many different significances. It has impacted reading a lot. Poe had a huge impact on dark romanticism. In Edgar Allan Poe’s short story “Masque of the Red Death” and his poem “The Raven” he uses symbols to show people are in perpetual fear. Poe first shows his beliefs about humanity in “Masque of the Red Death” when he uses the masked figure to show death.
The Dark Romantics or Gothic Fiction was part of the Romanticism Movement that emphasized the use of primitive, medieval, wild and mysterious elements including supernatural events and horrifying situations. The Dark Romantics took place in the eighteen hundreds and started as a reaction to the Transcendentalists, but did not entirely embrace the ideas of Transcendentalism. The Dark Romantic works were less optimistic than the transcendental works that believed that knowledge could be arrived at not just through the senses, but also through intuition and contemplation of the internal spirit. The Romantics took on a shadowy approach to the fantastical with the use of creepy symbols, horrific themes, and psychological effects of guilt and sin.
Romantic literature, as Kathy Prendergast further claims, highlighted things like splendor, greatness, vividness, expressiveness, intense feelings of passion, and stunning beauty. The Romantic literary genre favored “parts” over “whole” and “content” over “form”. The writer argues that though both the Romantic literary genre and the Gothic art mode were medieval in nature, they came to clash with what was called classical conventions. That’s why, preoccupations with such things as the supernatural, the awful, the dreadful, the repulsive and the grotesque were the exclusive focus of the nineteenth century Gothic novel. While some critics perceived the Gothic as a sub-genre of Romanticism, some others saw it as a genre in its own right (Prendergast).
Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven” follows the story of a young man who is sadden by the death of a woman named Leonore. As the reader advance through the poem, the main character is getting more and more emotionally unstable. He is clearly suffering from some kind of mental illness most likely depression. The narrator is in first person, we are living the poem through the eyes of the main character. (He compulsorily constructs self-destructive meaning around a raven’s repetition of the word 'Nevermore ', until he finally despairs of being reunited with his beloved Lenore in another world. Just because of the nightmarish effect, the poem cannot be called an elegy.) Poe use vivid details to describe how the narrator is gradually losing his mind.
Romanticism and Transcendentalism are both literary movements that were appreciated in the American literature. Both movements are quite similar; however, Romanticism is a strong motivational force that depicted emotions, patriotism, and imagination. Dark Romanticism, on the other hand, is a branch of Romanticism that focuses on the evil qualities of the man. Not only it is a branch of Romanticism, however, it is a reaction of Transcendentalism. Transcendentalism focuses on self-realization, empowering the connection between man and nature, and the goodness of man and nature. Throughout the years, American authors such as Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe projected dark romantic features in their work, “Young Goodman Brown” and “Tell-Tale Heart”, where they show the conflict between the good and evil. However, Emerson portrayed transcendentlistic characteristics in his book “Nature” as he shows the power of knowledge, nature, and divinity.
Romanticism played a large role in the creation of gothic literature, and it was considered to be “a lunatic fringe version of romanticism” (Tiffin). Gothic novels often had a powerful unleashing of emotions to very extreme levels “beyond social constraining” (Tiffin). The genre’s character often had an excess of a specific type (Tiffin), and in an analysis of Frankenstein and Northanger Abbey, this excess can be seen in Frankenstein’s ambition and Catherine’s curiosity.
These points classify Hawthorne as a dark romantic because he had a sad childhood and a stressful adulthood, and his obsession with common people. The years after college his silent and productive years were when Hawthorne became a transcendentalist and he started to write in the style of a dark romantic. His themes of sin, guilt, personal choices, and how individuals deal with the consequences on their decisions played many vital roles in his story helping classify him as a dark romantic.
Edgar Allan Poe?s ?The Raven? is a dark reflection on lost love, death, and loss of hope. The poem examines the emotions of a young man who has lost his lover to death and who tries unsuccessfully to distract himself from his sadness through books. Books, however, prove to be of little help, as his night becomes a nightmare and his solitude is shattered by a single visitor, the raven. Through this poem, Poe uses symbolism, imagery and tone, as well as a variety of poetic elements to enforce his theme of sadness and death of the one he loves.
Michael Gamer, Romanticism and the Gothic: Genre, Reception, and Canon Formation (Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press, 2000) 15, Questia, Web, 29 May 2010.