American+Victorian+Era+-+Literary+Movements+and+Writers

=19th Century America: Literary Movements and Writers - Brinda Monian = ==== Introduction: The 19th century in America was characterized by an outpouring of new literature and philosophy, a parallel to the Victorian Era in Great Britain. Literary movements during the American Victorian era included transcendentalism, dark romanticism, and realism. Below is a description of each literary movement accompanied by a biography of a famous author of that movement. ====

Transcendentalism Transcendentalism was born in the writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Transcendentalists were critics of social conformity and advocates of self-reliance. They also encouraged discovering oneself in nature, and they glorified humans in their writings, much like Romantic writers. Importan t transcendentalists included Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, and Theodore Parker. To learn more about Transcendentalism, click [|here]. **Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)** Henry David Thoreau was brought up in New England in the 1800s. After he grew up, Thoreau attended Harvard, becoming immersed in literature. He also discovered the works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, with whom he would later become good friends. After his time at Harvard, Thoreau helped out in the family business. He also sought isolation and lived alone for two years amidst nature, presumably trying to "find" himself. During this time, he traveled and gave lectures regarding his transcendentalist beliefs. He also wrote many novels and essays, his most famous being __Walden __ and "Civil Disobedience." Both are compositions that emphasize unconformity (not adhering to societal norms) and idolizing nature. Thoreau was a big believer in independence, self-reliance and nature. His works were not popular in his lifetime, but he is now recognized as a prominent American author. For more information on Thoreau's life and works, click [|here]. Dark Romanticism Dark Romanticism emerged as a negative reaction to Transcendentalism. Instead of viewing humans as fundamentally good, Dark Romanticism found people inherently sinful. Nature was a dark, mysterious force in literature of the Dark Romanticism movement. Some of the most famous authors of this movement were Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Herman Melville.  Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston. His mother died when he was just two years old, and Poe was sent to live with a foster family. After growing up, Poe continued to receive financial support from his foster father as he embarked on various endeavors, including a stint in the army and the University of Virginia. Poe then took up a position as editor of a newspaper, and his reviews, short stories and poems became extremely popular. Poe's "The Raven," published in 1845, was one of his most famous poems. However, while Poe's public life was successful, his personal life was tragic. Poe's wife died in 1847 and he himself developed health complications soon after, probably from drinking. Poe died in 1849 and was buried in Maryland.
 * Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)** [[image:Edgar_Allan_Poe.jpg width="198" height="287" align="right" caption="Edgar Allan Poe"]]

Edgar Allan Poe's most famous stories include "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Cask of Amontillado," while his best-known poems are [|"The Raven"] and "Annabel Lee." Realism The movement of realism in American literature gained great popularity during the middle to late 19th century. Realism involved depicting humans in nature, showing everyday life, and portraying things exactly as they were (not glorifying them, as transcendentalism and earlier movements had done). Some important realists included Mark Twain, Henry James, and Kate Chopin.

**Mark Twain (1835-1910)** Mark Twain' real name was Samuel Langhorne Clemens. Clemens was born and grew up in Missouri, the sixth of seven children. His life on the river and surrounded by slaves would later influence his writing. At age 18, he headed east to New York and took up a position writing for a newspaper, at which he was fairly successful. After Clemens' first story was published, he became instantly successful. Clemens began giving lecture tours all across America. He married Olivia (Livy) Langdon in 1870 and they had three daughters. In 1871, Clemens and his family moved to Hartford, Connecticut. During the 1870's and 1880's, Clemens released his most famous works, under the name of Mark Twain, including __The Adventures of Tom Sawyer__ and __The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn__. Twain became extremely popular and was described as the "quintessential" American author in 1910, perfectly capturing the dialects, culture, and overall spirit of America. He is also known for his satirical style of writing, criticizing everything from slavery to religious institutions. To read more about Mark Twain, click [|here]. To peruse some of Mark Twain's funny and satirical quotes, click [|here]. Other Authors Some authors did not fit neatly into one movement, such as Emily Dickinson. Her writings, along with those of Walt Whitman and John Greenleaf Whittier, contain some elements of Transcendentalism and Romanticism, but also include deviations from the the typical literature of those movements.

Emily Dickinson lived an unusual life of isolation in Amherst, Massachusetts. She was born to a wealthy and respected family, although she herself was viewed as a hermit by the locals. Dickinson wrote thousands of poems, but few were published during her lifetime, because Dickinson herself refused to have them published. In 1950, her full works were finally published and as a result, she is extremely popular today. Her poems frequently touch on the themes of grief and death, since Dickinson experienced the death of many loved ones during her lifetime, including her parents and her nephew. Her works also contain some elements of Transcendentalism in their idolatry of nature. Dickinson was unique in her use of punctuation and her slant rhyme, present in most of her works. Many claim that her poems are feminist because theier structure broke from the norm and empowered women, and this may well have been true, since Dickinson had lamented during her lifetime being deprived the privileges extended to her male family members. Emily Dickinson's most famous poetry includes ""I heard a Fly buzz - when I died -, "I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,""There's a certain Slant of light," and "The Soul selects her own Society."
 * Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)[[image:emily-dickinson.gif width="216" height="279" align="right" caption="Emily Dickinson"]]**

Questions: 1. Name three characteristics of realism. 2. What was the family business of Henry David Thoreau (what did it make)? 3. In which year was "The Raven" published? 4. What are the opposing beliefs of transcendentalism and dark romanticism? 5. What was the first newspaper Mark Twain wrote for using the name Mark Twain, not Samuel Clemens?

Bibliography:

Crumbley, Paul. "Emily Dickinson's Life." Modern American Poetry. 2001. Illinois University. 12 Apr 2009. []

Goodman, Russell. “Transcendentalism.” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 6 Feb 2003. Stanford University. 2 Apr 2009. []

"Samuel Clemens/Mark Twain." __The Mark Twain House and Museum__. 2004. 12 Apr 2009. []

Wilson, James Southall. "Poe's Life." 2008. Poe Museum. 10 Apr 2009. []

Witherell, Elizabeth. "Life and Times of Henry David Thoreau." The Writings of Henry David Thoreau. 1995. University of California - Santa Barbara. 2 Apr 2009. []

Woodlief, Ann. "Henry David Thoreau." __American Transcendentalism Web__. 2008. Virginia Commonwealth University. 2 Apr 2009. []