FREE ESSAY ON REASON TO ROMANCE OR ROMANTICISM

REASON TO ROMANCE OR ROMANTICISM

ROMANTICISM
In the nineteenth century, the foundation of American literature had a profound change.
This was called from Reason to Romance or Romanticism. With many contributions of famous
writers such as Irving, Cooper, Bryant, and Poe composed the stories and poems which all
of them had a great value in the American literature. What is the Romanticism and how
dies it effect to the American literature? By taking some compositions from these
writers, there will be good answers for those questions.
According to some information in English books, the critics said the name Romantic can be
misleading because the Romantics do not necessarily write about the love. The Romanticism
can be viewed as an artistic movement, or state of mind, or both. This movement seemed to
be reaction against the dominant attitudes and approaches of the eighteenth century.
Unlike the eighteenth century, writers who interest in reaction, logic, and scientific
observation, the Romantics stressed the examination of inner feelings, emotions and the
use of imagination. This seemed to be the first element in Romanticism. It appeals to
emotion rather than reason. Also, the Romanticism explores the mysteries of nature and
supernatural. It reflects interesting in nature because the Romantics describe their
story and poem about America wilderness or countryside or they depicted nature. This
element that the reader can recognize clearly in the compositions of these writers above.
The third element that the Romantics interest in unusual or ordinary. Furthermore,
Romantics had a strong belief in democracy, a deep awareness in the past. Some writers
explore the mysteries of nature, the inner self and the relationship between the nature
and human imagination. Also it delved into a history of young nation or tradition of the
United States. This element will explain the spirit of Nationalism. Using these elements
discussed above, this essay will parallel with two representative compositions of
Washington Irving, "The Devil and Tom Walker," and The Raven poem of Edgar Allan Poe,
these will be proved clearly for this thesis. 
First, the representative Romantic who become the first writer American literature to
achieve international reputation, as Washington Irving. He was born in a wealthy New York
family. He spent much time traveling in European and reading almost European literature,
he wrote the folk tale as The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and The Devil and Tom Walker. In
"The Devil and Tom Walker" Irving created this famous folktale by reshaping a German
folktale that implicates the stereotype of a person who selling his soul to devil. Irving
makes the tale distinctly American by setting it in New England during late 1720's- a
time that the Puritanism, especially the belief that a person life should be devoted to
God, was being replaced by commercialism and the desire for personal gain. The Devil
tells him about a great treasure of Kidd the pirate. Tom tells to his wife, and she tries
to get the treasure by she dies because of her greed. Tom gets the treasure by selling
his soul to the devil but in the end, the devil comes for his soul and takes him away.
The story relates to the nature because Irving put the scenes of the swamp. He describes
the swamp like a horrible and mystery place. The story also describes the feelings of
each character dramatically. Especially, the feeling of greed that states clearly in main
character Tom Walker. When he knows his wife doesn't return, he just worries about the
value that his wife brought with her. The story shows an interest in the unusual such as
Irving describes the death of Tom's wife. Her hair, lung and her apron were hung on the
tree. This folk tale story is also an important lesson that teaches people-don't be
greedy.
Therefore, Irving succeeded in creating folktale story that is Romantic. How about the
poems? Talking about the poems, the reader can recognize the poems of Edgar Allan Poe are
romantic. He was born in 1809 and during his life; he lived in deep of sorrow and
disappointment. "The Raven" is one of his poems that decides his soul clearly, and
explains why he thought the significant of his life, has died. He tried to read the book
to forget the sadness, and thought that she was still here. The mysterious bird he calls
the Raven wakes his mind up and he realizes that his wife is truly gone. Analyzing Poe's
poem, the reader will see how he put all elements of Romanticism in the poem The Raven.
The first thing that it relates to the nature. He describes the scene of the poem, which
was in the break of December. The darkness and quiet are around his house with the cold
of winter. The Raven, a black bird came suddenly with the mystery. The other element that
can be in his poem is unusual of the raven. The Raven used to talk and repeat just one
word "Nevermore," but because of that word, it helped Poe recognizes the death of his
special wife. Poe describes his soul through the poem with the deep of sorrow and
sadness. This can be proved for the first element of Romanticism that appealed to emotion
rather than reason. 
Generally, with two examples above that proves and explains Romanticism. Also with the
composition of those writers who helped to American literary heritage, this change can
explain the differences between the writer of the eighteenth century and the writer of
nineteenth century. In my opinion, Romantic stories or poems help people realize their
feelings and face the problems in daily life. Good stories teach lessons help people to
become better.