Romanticism is an artistic and intellectual movement originating in Europe in the late 18th century and is characterized by a heightened interest in nature, emphasis on an individual’s expression of emotion and imagination, a departure from the attitudes and forms of classicism, and rebellion against established social rules and conventions.
Romantic writers usually involve one or more of 7 different ideas associated with Romanticism in their writings. These ideas are: a profound love of nature; focus on the self and the individual; stress on emotion and not reason; fascination with the supernatural, mysterious and gothic; yearning for the picturesque, the exotic, and the misty past; deep-rooted idealism; passionate nationalism, or love of country. The stories and poems of Poe, Irving, Cooper, and Bryant involve these characteristics.
In ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ an example of one of the 7 ideas is the mysterious atmosphere of the house and the people inside of it. In Bryants ‘Thanatopsis’ a profound love of nature is shown.The other stories focus on the individual, like in ‘The Devil and Tom Walker’. Tom is focused on his own personal gain no matter what it costs. He is faced with meeting the devil and you know the rest.These are just a few examples but through reading the stories you can find the rest.
