English 11 Honors December 16 & 19, 2016
Agenda - 12/16/2016
Writing Prompt Party Time 12/16/2016 If you could have a party before you die, who would you invite? Why?
American Romanticism Unit Objectives Students will be able to understand that romantic literature is a journey away from the corruption of society and the limits of rational thought toward the integrity of nature and the freedom of the imagination. American Romanticism broke into two separate journeys: an exploration of the past and of exotic or supernatural realms and the contemplation of the natural world. It introduced a hero completely different than all previous heroes he was youthful, innocent, intuitive, close to nature and uneasy with women. Essential Questions: How does American Romantic literature reflect, clarify, and criticize the time it portrays? How do the selections express the shared qualities of the beliefs and cultures of the time period? How does Romantic literature differ from Early American literature?
Dark Romanticism/ Anti-Transcendentalism Before we begin, let us review some of the major tenets of Romanticism. Intuition is favored over reason Focus on the imagination, emotional intensity, spontaneity, the individual, freedom, and nature as a source of escapism and spirituality Romantic heroes are usually common men who will often journey away from the corruption of civilization and seek truth in nature Helped instill proper gender behavior for men and women Romantic texts often contain elements of the supernatural or mysterious (dreams, visions, ghosts, irrational/absurd plot points with no explanation, etc.) Romantics believed in the natural goodness of man; that man in a state of nature would behave well, but is hindered by civilization
Dark Romanticism Dark romanticism is a literary subgenre that emerged from the Transcendental philosophical movement popular in America from about 1836 through the 1840 s. Works in the dark romantic spirit were influenced by Transcendentalism, but did not entirely embrace the ideas of Transcendentalism. Dark Romantic works are notably less optimistic than Transcendental texts about mankind, nature, and divinity. Authors considered most representative of dark romanticism are Edgar Allan Poe ( The Raven, Masque of the Red Death) and Nathaniel Hawthorne (The Scarlet Letter) The following are some basic tenets of the Dark Romantic literary movement: 1. Dark Romantics are much less confident about the notion perfection is an innate quality of mankind, as believed by Transcendentalists. Subsequently, Dark Romantics present individuals as prone to sin and self-destruction, not as inherently possessing divinity and wisdom. 2. While both groups believe nature is a deeply spiritual force, Dark Romanticism views it in a much more sinister light than does Transcendentalism, which sees nature as a divine and universal organic mediator. For these Dark Romantics, the natural world is dark, decaying, and mysterious; when it does reveal truth to man, its revelations are evil and hellish. 3. Whereas Transcendentalists advocate social reform when appropriate, works of Dark Romanticism frequently show individuals failing in their attempts to make changes for the better.
Transcendentalism Here is a quick review of the Transcendentalist philosophy: Transcendentalists believed that everyone was absolutely pure and that each individual is a part of God. Transcendentalists believed that people's thoughts and intuition were the voice of God. Transcendentalists did not believe in institutions like government because they thought the individual human mind was the strongest power in the universe. Transcendentalists would be concerned with questions such as: Are all people good? Is the voice inside people's heads the pure voice of God?
Dark Romanticism/ Anti-Transcendentalism The Dark Romantics were the forefathers to the modern horror, thriller, and mystery stories. Poe and Hawthorne added drastically different perspectives from those of the Transcendentalists, which is why Dark Romantics are often called Anti-Transcendentalists. Their views of human existence and strong use of symbolism made them stand apart from Transcendentalists like Emerson and Thoreau. They examined the psychological effects of guilt and sin, the conflict between good and evil, and people plagued with madness. They agreed that human nature is not necessarily good. The Dark Romantics believed that the Transcendentalists ignored the darker side of humanity, so they sought to show their readers what was otherwise ignored or hidden. They did this through dark tales of obsession, revenge, shame, and madness. Their views and styles helped shape American literature.
Dark Romanticism/ Anti-Transcendentalism The master of the psychological thriller was Edgar Allen Poe. He filled his stories with grotesque details like people buried alive, decaying mansions, strange mental illnesses, and a raven that torments a madman. He wrote about the darkness of the human mind and characters who were plagued with madness and dementia. His purpose behind his morbid tales was to take the reader beyond the normal, everyday, rational world and into the dark recesses of the human mind. In "The Raven", Poe writes of a grief-stricken man who has seemed to have lost touch with reality. Gothic details like the rapping on the door and the raven's eerie presence set a mood of fear.
Where does Edgar Allen Poe fit in? Although often considered a Dark Romantic, Poe can be viewed more as a Gothic writer. Poe s works strongly represent Gothic elements more so than valuing intuition over reason or examining the natural world for God and spiritual truths.
Gothic Literature Settings- include large, drafty old houses that have "been in the family for years."
Atmosphere of mystery and suspense A ghostly legend, an unexplainable occurrence, or a story about a horrible death or murder. DICTION Words designed to evoke images of gloom and doom: dark, foreboding, forbidding, ghostly, etc. Gothic Literature
Gothic Literature Omens, foreshadowing, and dreams usually play a large role in the mysterious air that is created within the story. Supernatural events: ghosts, doors that open themselves, unexplained sounds, etc.
Includes highly charged emotional states like: terror, a feeling that one is on the brink of insanity, anger, agitation, an exaggerated feeling of some impending doom, and obsessive love. Gothic Literature
Gothic Literature Damsels in distress are frequent. Women who are frightened and confused, wandering around lost, or dying due to a slow and unexplainable ailment.
Gothic Literature Romantic themes often involve the death of a man or woman in the throes of some great passion, the obsessive nature of a man or woman in love, or excessive grief one feels upon the loss of a loved one.
Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849 Poe was born in Boston, the son of traveling actors. The beginnings of his unhappy life were marked by his father's desertion of the family, followed by the death of his mother when he was two years old. The orphaned Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan of Virginia.
Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849 After being expelled from West Point, Poe looked for work as a journalist and wrote literary reviews, but money was scarce. Poverty intensified his despair when his beloved wife, Virginia, died following a long illness. Deeply depressed, Poe died two years later after being found on the streets of Baltimore, sick, delirious, and, in his doctor's words, "haggard, not to say bloated, and unwashed.
Edgar Allan Poe 1809-1849 Many critics credit Poe with the invention of the detective story. His classic tales include "The Masque of the Red Death," "The Pit and the Pendulum," "The God Bug," and "The Purloined Letter."
Literary Devices Imagery - A descriptive language that evokes a sensory experience. Symbolism - The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships. Allegory - a figure of speech in which abstract ideas and principles are described in terms of characters, figures and events. An allegory is a complete narrative, which involves characters, and events that stand for an abstract idea or an event. A symbol, on the other hand, is an object that stands for another object giving it a particular meaning. Unlike an allegory, a symbol is not a story. For example, Animal Farm, written by George Orwell, is an allegory that uses animals on a farm to describe the overthrow of the last of the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and the Communist Revolution of Russia before WWII. Arthur Miller wrote the play The Crucible in response to the RED SCARE of the 1950 s.
The Masque of the Red Death
3. Compare life outside the palace with the life of the people Prospero brought inside. Inside Wealth Outside Poverty Fantasy Reality Life Death; Destruction Happiness Sorrow Health Disease/Sickness Hope Despair
Going from East to West: Blue Purple Green White Violet Black Orange
What s the difference between purple and violet? Purple Violet
WHAT DOES EACH ROOM COLOR SYMBOLIZE?
First, think about the order of the rooms Why do they progress from East to West? The sun RISES in the EAST Then SETS in the WEST
1) BLUE Birth/Infancy A baby is completely dependent on others (Sky turns blue in the morning)
2) PURPLE Blue + Red Toddler/Childhood (Bumps & Bruises as you begin school & leave the protection of home?)
3) GREEN Adolescence/Puberty the child becomes a teenager (Plants bloom in the spring)
4) ORANGE Middle age/adulthood (Summer turns into autumn)
5) WHITE Old age/white hair Purity/peace (The winter of life)
6) VIOLET Elderly stage The twilight of one s years (It appears more bluish-white than purple As if it s fading and approaching the end of life.)
7) BLACK Death
Seven Ages of Man ~ William Shakespeare All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players, They have their exits and entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages. At first the infant, Mewling and puking in the nurse's arms. Then the whining schoolboy, with his satchel And shining morning face, creeping like snail Unwillingly to school. And then the lover, Sighing like furnace, with a woeful ballad Made to mistress' eyebrow. Then a soldier. Full of strange oaths, sudden and quick in quarrel, Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon's mouth. And then the justice, In fair round belly with good capon lined, With eyes severe and beard of formal cut, Full of wise saws and modern instances; And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts Into the lean and slippered pantaloon, With spectacles on nose and pouch on side, His youthful hose, well saved, a world too wide, For his shrunk shank; and his big manly voice, Turning again towards the childish treble, pipes And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all, That ends this strange eventful history, Is second childishness and mere oblivion, Sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.