Dark Romanticism - 1392 Words

4. Define â€Å"Dark Romanticism† as you understand it by discussing two works by different authors. Account for the rise of this kind of writing in America and evaluate its appeal and significance then and now. The Dark Side of Romanticism Romantic literary texts focus on the expression of emotion. Authors during the Romantic period developed and integrated the idea of the individual being the main focus in life. Romantic authors focused on the individual being at the center of their own happiness and destiny and evil dwelling outside mankind. Dark Romantics believed that evil is not only found in nature and in other people but evil also dwells inside every human being. Dark Romantics argued that earlier writers had ignored the darker side of†¦show more content†¦In â€Å"The Tell-Tale Heart,† Edgar Allen Poe depicts a gruesome tale. His use of dark imagery and harsh words make this story an unmistakable product of the Dark Romantic period. Poe’s use of the first person narrator adds an important dimension to the story. The narrator’s thoughts are eating him alive and Poe clearly portrays this to readers by repeating words and having the narrator constantly que stion himself: I paced the floor to and fro with heavy strides, as if excited to fury by the observations of the men --but the noise steadily increased. Oh God! what could I do? I foamed --I raved --I swore! I swung the chair upon which I had been sitting, and grated it upon the boards, but the noise arose over all and continually increased. It grew louder --louder --louder! And still the men chatted pleasantly, and smiled. Was it possible they heard not? Almighty God! --no, no! They heard! --they suspected! --they knew! --they were making a mockery of my horror!-this I thought, and this I think. But anything was better than this agony! This makes the narrator untrustworthy and unreliable. This also helps to illustrate Dark Romanticism’s questioning of mankind. Poe focuses on how unstable the narrator is and how the unconscious mind can destroy a man. The narrator drove himself absolutely crazy over the old man’s mysterious eyeball. He was obsessed with the eye and this caused the narrator to have extreme paranoia. The reader never finds outShow MoreRelatedDark Romanticism As A Literary Genre Essay2034 Words   |  9 PagesDark romanticism originated from the despairing nature from the sub genre s literature and the impact from earlier romantic literature. Furthermore, even though it represented the opposite of philosophical belief, dark romanticism is a literary sub genre that was developed in the mid-nineteenth century during the transcendental philosophical movement. Because dark romanticism derived in this fashion and began in the fascinating time period of 1840-1860, it produced some of the most recognized writersRead MoreDark Romanticism By Edgar Allen Poe1625 Words   |  7 PagesOne of the biggest literary of all times was known as dark romanticism. This kind of literature comes from the darkness inside of a person. Many people who like this style are know to be obsessed with gothic nature. Dark Romanticism is also know to come from darkness in the human soul, original sin, and a dark outlook on society. Dark Romanticism is the complete opposite of romanticism. According to what is dark romanticism â€Å" Dark Romanticism is. A sort of genre threat combines traditional love objectsRead MoreEssay on The Everlasting Dark Shadow of Romanticism2650 Words   |  11 Pages For many, saying or hearing the word romanticism evokes numerous stereotypical and prejudged definitions and emotions. The biggest reason this probably happens is because of how closely romanticism sounds like romance. The similarity of the sounds and spelling of the two words can lead to some thinking that the two words mean the same thing or are closely related. Although romanticism and romance do share some similarities in their spelling and pronunciation they couldn’t be more different. InRead MoreGothic Fiction Of Hawthorne And Poe Essay1919 Words   |  8 Pagesto the gothic scene. I will explore and compare some of their works with hopes of identifying what I find to be some of their genius contributions to this dark romantic style. Gothic fiction is a genre of literature that is comprised of numerous particular elements. It is a subgenre of romanticism and can be conflated with dark romanticism. This flavor of writing was most popular from the late eighteenth through the early nineteenth centuries. The name gothic fiction relates to gothic EuropeanRead MoreThe Dark Romanticism Of Edgar Allan Poe1497 Words   |  6 Pagesthe era of Romanticism, but Poe’s poems focused primarily on the Dark Romanticism, developed under Romanticism. The era of Romanticism was commonly described as showing raw emotion, but there was still a conflict in the story. The purpose of Romanticism was for the writer to feel free; there were no rules when it came to this form of writing. Dark Romanticism was looking at the gothic side of stories rather than the heroism stories, which focused more on death, and the flaws of humans. Dark RomanticismRead MoreGothic Literature : The Dark Side Of Romanticism1518 Words   |  7 PagesGothic literature is the dark side of Romanticism. The theme of Gothic stories is either mysterious, horror, or even death. Nathaniel Hawthorne and Edgar Allan Poe are authors that demonstrate Gothic literature. Some of their work include, â€Å"The Cask of Amontillado† written by Edgar Allan Poe and â€Å"The Birthmark† by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The Cask of Amontillado tells how the narrator Montresor seeks revenge on his acquaintance, Fortunato. Montresor to desperate measures and did not catch. However, inRead MoreThe Fall Of The House Of Usher : Poes And Dark Romanticism1007 Words   |  5 PagesThe Fall of the House of Usher: Poe’s and the Dark Romanticism Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) born in the United States was a poet, writer, critic, and journalist recognized as one of the greatest exponents of the Dark Romanticism (Ultan and Olson, 51). Dark Romanticism is an American literary subgenre emerged in the nineteenth century from the philosophical movement called transcendentalism. Dark Romanticism, broadly speaking, rely very little on perfection as an innate quality of the human being,Read MoreThe Man Of The Crowd And Ligeia By Edgar Allen Poe1726 Words   |  7 Pagestext. The darkness displayed in these works allude to the ongoing theme of the ambiguity of sin. Both authors, Poe and Hawthorne, are considered to be Dark Romantics because they both center their works around the conflict between good and evil in every individual and showcase the dark side of human nature. In using elements from Dark Romanticism, Poe and Hawthorne create characters who struggle in their ability to find one’s own true self, resulting in characterà ¢â‚¬â„¢s inability to accept and understandRead MoreDevelopment Of Narrative, By Nathaniel Hawthorne, And Edgar Allen Poe1302 Words   |  6 Pages1800s, when authors such as Washington Irving, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allen Poe began to attract readers with them. These authors were from the Romanticism period. Three characteristics of Romanticism are having a profound love of nature, passionate nationalism, and a fascination with the supernatural. Stories by these authors share dark times and mysterious events. Irving uses the pseudonym to create a persona in the name of fiction. This rising form of literature seats itself well inRead MoreThe Tell Tale Heart And The Birth Mark Only A Couple Of Months Apart1428 Words   |  6 Pagesyoung couple, Aylmer and Georgiana, and how the latter’s birthmark becomes the obsession of the former. Poe and Hawthorne’s literary genre of Dark Romanticism opposes human perfectibility, and both writers employ symbolism, irony, similar characters and plot to convey the theme that obsessions will inevitably lead to destruction. The authors of American Romanticism held a particular disdain for science, which they made visible through the aggressor characters in their short stories. Both aggressors wanted