1、Historical Background The American Revolution ended in 1783, and on April 30, 1789, George Washington stood on the balcony of Federal Hall in Wall Street to take the oath of office as the first president of the United States. The following years witnessed a series of wars and a period of rapid growt

2、h. 1812, war with Britain 1830s, a series of wars against native Americans 18461848, war against Mexico 1848, discovery of gold in California, thus the Gold Rush 1859, first oil well drilled in Pennsylvania 18611865, Civil War 1869, the first transcontinental railway constructed,American Romanticism

3、 (1800 - 1850s),A new nationalism emerged as a result of this sudden influx of immigration. The spread of industrialization filled people with optimism. The discovery of gold in California in 1848 brought about a Gold Rush, which further pushed the frontier to the west. As a result, an unprecedented

4、 optimistic attitude was prevailing among people.,This is a period of rapid growth and rapid expansion,The spread of industrialization, the influx of immigration and the westward movement produced an economic boom and a strong sense of optimism and hope among people. The desire for intellectual inde

5、pendence brought about the fertilization of literary milieu. Magazines increased in number. The appearance of these magazines provided a media for people to express their opinions. European romanticism reached the Continent when young people who traveled to Europe to educate themselves came back to

6、America. Such philosophers as Immanuel Kant (German idealism 德國(guó)唯心主義 ) and Auguste Comte (French positivism 法國(guó)實(shí)證主義 ),Reasons for flourishment of American Romanticism,an innate and intuitive perception of man, nature and society an emphasis on freedom, individualism and imaginationrebellion against ne

7、oclassicism which stressed formality, order and authority a profound love for naturenature as a source of knowledge, nature as a refuge from the present, nature as a revelation of the holy spirit the quest for beautypure beauty the use of antique and grotesque subject matters,Characteristics of Roma

8、nticism,Unique subject matter. The Westward Movement, the pioneering into the West, provided the American writers with the best subject and materials. The newness as a nation Puritan moral values. Many writers tend to moralize and teach rather than entertainment. Cultural nationalism: the proud beli

9、ef in ones own cultural genius and heritage. did not show the kind of radicalism Pioneers: Irving, Cooper and Bryant,Uniqueness of American Romanticism,New England Transcendentalism was the summit of American Romanticism. In 1836 a group of New Englanders, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau an

10、d Margaret Fuller, about 30 people, mostly teachers and clergymen, met regularly in Concord, Massachusettes , formed a Transcendentalist Club to discuss matters of interest and published a journal, The Dial （日晷） to express their opinions.,New England Transcendentalism,The two activities sponsored by

11、 the Club:,German and French idealism （唯心主義） , originating from Schelling, Fichte, Kant (17241804) and Thomas Carlyle, believing that ideas are the most important thing and that which we can know anything of. Oriental mysticism （神秘主義） , represented by Hindu works, those of Confucius and Mencius. Ame

12、rican Puritanism, represented by Jonathan Edwards and Benjamin Franklin, arguing that the knowledge of God and truth can be obtained only through meditation or spiritual insight. Transcendentalism was Romanticism on the Puritan soil.,What are the sources of Transcendentalism?,The most important thin

13、g in the universe is spirit, or the Oversoul. The Oversoul (God) is an all-pervading power, omnipotent and omnipresent, existing in nature and man alike. This offers a new way of looking at the world instead of the Newtonian concept of the universe (18 th-centurey, the world made up of matter). .,Wh

14、at are the doctrines of Transcendentalism?,stress the importance of the individual. The ideal type of man is the self-reliant individual through the perfection of whom the regeneration of society can be achieved. This offers a new way of looking at man. It is a reaction against Calvinist concept that man is depraved, sinful, and can only be saved through the grace of God. It is also a reaction against dehumanization, coming at the wake of capitalism.,a fresh perception of