Dark Romantics in American Literature

1840 - 1860
Also called - the American Renaissance
Two Subgenres / Categories of Writers

‣ Dark Romantics

‣ Transcendentalists

(Carroll)
 Dark Romantics
‣ explore the inner workings of the mind

(Vitamin D Deficiency)

‣ takes a shadowy approach to the fantastical

(Carroll)

(Mystical Ocean)
 Romantic Writers
‣ took an optimistic approach to the mystical aspects of
writing
‣ believed that sins are properly punished
‣ believed those who are truly good are rewarded
“The Devil & Tom Walker” is an example of Romantic
Writing. (Carroll)
 Dark Romantics
‣ were more serious
‣ found the darkness and evil in people and life’s events
‣ evil tended to overtake the good
(Carroll)

(Good VS Evil)
 Dark Romantics (con’t.)
‣ Writers of this time period were sometimes called
“Gothic”
‣ Famous Gothic writers of this period were:
◦ Edgar Allan Poe
◦ Nathaniel Hawthorne
◦ Herman Melville
(Carroll)
(The Dark Romantic Writers)
 Characteristics of “Dark Romantic” Writing

‣ lots of “creepy” symbols

‣ horrific themes
‣ psychological effects of guilt & sin

(Carroll)
 Common Symbols Found in “Dark Romantic” Literature
(Single Red Rose)

❖ Red rose = romance, love, passion, vitality

❖ Black rose = death, loss, evil

(Black Rose)

❖ Raven = death, hopelessness, picks at corpses, hangs

around battlefields (Poe’s - “The Raven”)

(Carroll)
(Maxresdefault)
 Theme
Symbols are put into the story intentionally by the author
to reinforce the meaning of the story; its theme.

Theme = a statement that the text seems to be making

about the subject, or the statement it is making about life
in general.

(Carroll)
 Theme (con’t.)
‣ Dark Romantics often studied the struggles of human nature.

‣ Sin & evil is found everywhere in Dark Romantic stories. It represents the
Devil and spirits.

(Spirit)
(Origins)

‣ The idea that our surroundings could be filled with evil fueled much of the
Dark Romantics’ writings. This encouraged the readers to question
everything around them.

(Carroll)
 Horrific Themes

‣ Struggles of Human Nature

‣ Surroundings that could be filled with Evil
‣ Horrors of Evil lurking in everyone
‣ Writing dealt with the stream of consciousness & the
deterioration of the mind. (Poe’s-”The Raven” & “Fall of
the House of Usher”)
 Horrific Themes (Con’t.)

‣ Dark Romantics wanted to explore the horrors of evil

that were lurking in everyone.
‣ They didn’t just want to scare you, they also wanted to
show you the reasons WHY a character committed in
the first place.
‣ A character’s thought processes were very important.
(Carroll)
 Psychological Effects of Guilt and Sin
Dark Romantic writers want to explore the psychological
effects of guilt and sin.

The characters and elements of their writing were:

❖ grotesque
❖ fantastic
❖ morbid

(Carroll)
 Psychological Effects of Guilt and Sin(Con’t.)
The characters in these tales are often
❖ deranged or
❖ go “mad”
Readers are often “stuck” in the character’s mind
watching as it slowly falls (deteriorates) into madness.

(Carroll)
 Psychological Effects of Guilt and Sin(Con’t.)
Dark Romantics want to know -
Why?
Rather than -
How?

The focus in their writing (about the character) is on -

Psychological
How the mind works
(Woodberry)

One very important writer from this time period is Edgar Allan Poe.

(Carroll)
 Works Cited

n.a. “Black Rose.” n.d. gallerhip.com. n.p. n.d. Photograph. Web. 1 April 2015.

Carroll, Heather. The Dark Romantics in American Literature. Study.com. 2003-2015.

Web. 1 April 2015. <http://study.com/academy/lesson/
the-dark-romantics-in-american-literature.html>.

“Good VS Evil Wallpaper” #74593. 3 January 2014. HD4desktop.com. 2014. Photograph. Web.
HD4Desktop Wallpapers. 2 April 2015. <http://hd4desktop.com/74593-good-vs-evil/>.

n.a. “Mystical Ocean Background.” n.d. galleryhip.com. n.p. n.d. Photograph. Web. 2 April 2015.
 Works Cited - (Con’t.)
n.a. “maxresdefault.jpg.” n.d.FOX Sports. Photograph. FOX Sports Interactive Media, LLC.
2015. Web. 1 April 2015. <http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/laces-out/
baltimore-ravens-new-england-patriots-afc-playoffs-steve-smith-screams-like-raven-011015>.

n. a. “Vitamin D Deficiency May Damage the Brain, Study Finds.” n.d. FOX News. Photograph.
FOX News Network, LLC. 2015. Web. 2 April 2015. <http://www.foxnews.com/health/
2013/12/04/vitamin-d-deficiency-may-damage-brain-study-finds/>.

Woodberry, George E. “Portrait of Edgar Allan Poe, with Signature.” Photograph. The Edgar Allan
Poe Society of Baltimore. 21 June 2009. Web. 3 April 2015. <http://www.eapoe.org/>.

n.a. “Origins of the Devil.” Red Ice Creations. n.d. Red Ice Creations. Photograph. Web. 2 April
2015. <http://www.redicecreations.com/specialreports/2006/01jan/devil.htm>.
 Works Cited - (Con’t.)

n.a. “Spirit Release.” Photograph. Sshradha.wordpress. n.d. Web. 2 April 2015. <https://
sshradha.wordpress.com/category/spirit-release-experience/>.

n.a. “The Dark Romantic Writers.” Photograph. Study.com. n.d. Web. 2 April 2015. <http://
study.com/academy/lesson.the-dark-romantics-in-american-literature.html>.

n.a. “Single Red Rose.” Google Images. Photograph. Web. n.d..n.p. 1 April 2015.
<nikonites.com>.