Period+8+-+Literature+&+Art

= Literature & Art Reform During the Antebellum Period = media type="custom" key="4835461" =Summary & Goal of the Reform Movement: = In the Antebellum Period, American artists and writers began to focus on creating a more americanized style of these areas. Artists, such as Frederic Church, painted landscapes of the frontier and the valleys of the west​ern states and territories (Hudson River Valley- Hudson River Valley School). Nature became the basis of both Art //and// Literature. Writers like Edger Allen Poe and Washington Irving wrote about characters exploring the wild frontier, dangerous experiences with indians and robbers. The goal, though it may be different than that of other reform movements, was to step away from English customary styles and create a new, Americanized form, giving the country its own style and culture, raising the level nationalism during the period.

=Cause of the Reform Movement: = After decades of acknowleding the inferior reputation of American aritisitic and intellectual life compared to that of European culture, Americans strived for a unique, independent culture, demonstrating the country's nationalism. Simultaneously, though, leaders of the nation's culture looked for another type of liberation; a type which would overwhelm the self-conscious nationalistic values that were present during the period; subsequently, the air of romanticism emerged. Through art, philosophy, literature, economics, and even politics, Americans were committed to the emancipation of the human spirit. Due to the apparent superiority of European culture over American, intellectuals aimed to create a uniquely American culture, by way of art, philosophy, and especially literature.  ​ =Primary Sources: = 1)

Twilight in the Wilderness was an oil painting done by Frederic Church in 1860. It depicted a " comforting, patriotic image of the American wilderness " (AmicaLibrary). This painting was not of one specific location. Church used a combination of scenery from New York and Maine.

2)[|Leaves of Grass]was written by Walt Whitman in 1855. His book expressed more of the body and material world rather than symbolism and meditation. Like many other forms of literature and art produced at this time, it exhibited nature but included the human role within nature.

3) [|Emerson Poems] This book is a collection of some of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Poems. One of them is the poem [|Each And All], written by Emerson in 1839. This was another poem during this time focusing on nature. He describes seeing seashells on a beach, and concentrates on it's beauty with the surrounding landscapes.

=​ Famous Works & Strategy: =   During the Antebellum Period, the reform of art and literature became especially prevalent. Though there may not be clear "successes and failures" of the period, countless pieces of work became well-noted, representing accomplishments of the period. The strategy that motivated the reform of art and literature was to create a uniquely American culture, different to that of the typical European culture, which Americans previously aspired to. By creating a nationalistic literature and art, Americans looked to set the standard to be something completely different than previously seen. Painters from the Hudson River Valley School aspired to capture the sense of mystery and majesty that the nature and wilderness of America evoked. They focused on capturing the power of nature to evoke the "sublime feeling;" a sense of wonderment, awe, and even fear of the significance of nature. As opposed to mimicking the graceful countryside landscapes painted by the Europeans, members of the Hudson River Valley School sought to paint pictures of the unsettled, rugged Hudson Valley. The school even had a nostalgia sense incorporated in the paintings, as an effort to cherish the nature that many feared was rapidly disappearing.

with themes of pride, guilt, and revenge, sharing the transcendentalist view of faith in the improvement of mankind. Walden pond. Advised people to lead a simple lifestyle, in accordance to nature: major transcendentalist view of the time.
 * 1823**: //Pioneers// created by James Fenimore Cooper, who was among the first to appreciate the value of the frontier as a uniquely American setting. //Pioneers// celebrated the bravery of the American and explored the conflict between the advance of civilization and the wilderness.
 * 1828**: //American Dictionary of the English Language//, published by Noah Webster. Further developed independence of American usage by finalizing American spellings.
 * 1834**: //History of the United States//, a ten volume encyclopedia, published by George Bancroft[[image:http://z.about.com/d/arthistory/1/0/R/b/corcoran_0308_07.jpg width="409" height="258" align="right" caption=""Niagara" a painting created by Frederic Edwin Church."]]
 * 1836**: __Nature__, novel published by Ralph Waldo Emerson, exploring years of deep study of literature, religion, and philosophy.
 * 1837**: "American Scholar" an address given Emerson, arguing that the self-reliancy of Americans allowed them to develop a uniquely, national character.
 * 1846**: //Oregon Trail// written by Francis Parkman, an account of his journey west, across North America.
 * 1850**: __Scarlet Letter__ written by Nathaniel Hawthorne, who was involved with Brook Farm. His novel dealt
 * 1854**: __Walden__, created by Henry David Thoreau, which kept accounts of his experiences during his stay at
 * 1855**: //Leaves of Grass//, written by Walt Whitman expressing passion for the country through controversial, free verse. Became revolutionary work of art, influencing American poetry for years to come.[[image:http://briancarnold.files.wordpress.com/2008/05/055321009201lzzzzzzz.jpg width="175" height="284" align="right" caption=""The Scarlet Letter" a novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne in 1850."]]
 * 1857**: //Niagara,// painting created by Frederic Edwin Church became his claim to fame.
 * 1859**: //Heart of the Andes//, additional painting created by Frederic Edwin Church.

Quite evidently, it is clear that effforts of the reform movement were extremely successful. By being highly motivated in creating a culture unique to that of America, artists and writers were driven to finalize the separation from European countries; meaning, independence and self-sufficiency were demonstrated through the success of the art and literature reform movement. Due to the creation of a liberated culture from that of Europe, Americans felt immense pride in their own nation's autonomy.

//.// 

Key Figures = = -**Painters:** [|Frederic Church] was one of America's most famous painters because of his two paintings, Niagara and Heart of the Andes. [|Thomas Cole]'s artistic ideas came from works of literature and poems. He was also trained to engrave woodblocks that were used fir printing calicos. [|Asher Durand] was one of America's finest engravers. He started oil paintings about portraiture and genre subjects in the early 1830's. [|John-James Audubon] was the first painter to try and paint all of the birds in America and describe all of them and the country's best wildlife painter. [|Thomas Doughty] was called " one of the pioneers of our landscape art" and had painted many noble pictures.

-**Writers**: [|Walt Whitman] was a famous poet, journalist and essayist. His use of free verse poetry was very inspirational to many future poets. His most famous work was a book called Leaves Of Grass which was a collection of many groups of poems. [|Raplh Waldo Emerson] was a poet, philospher, lecturer, and essayist. His most famous collection of essays was called, Nature, and it is a reflection on philosphy and religion. He believed in individualism, non-conformity and a strong bond of nature, he also believed in abolition and did not agree with the harsh treatment of Native Americans. [|Henry David Thoreau] was mostly a poet but became a stylist and philosopher and lectueror. He lectured against slavery and the government issue of money for the Mexican war. His most famous work was called, Walden. [|James Fenimore Cooper]was the first Ameircan novelist and he wrote over 30 novels. His best known novel was called, The Last of the Mohicans, which was about a man who lives close to nature and civilization tries to destory it. [|Edgar Allen Poe] was a poet and a writer during the transcendentalists period. He wrote short stories and peoms and was also an editor. Some big works of art of his were called, "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Murders in the Rue Morgue," and "The Raven." [|Henry Wadsworth Longfellow] was a writer and poet. His first collection of poems was called, Voices of the Nightt, and was published in 1869 while he was attending Harvard. [|Washington Irving] was the first American to create a living off of being a writer and to write under pen names. One of his most famous collections was called, Sketch-book, and had short stories such as " The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" in it.




 * __ More great information can be found at the following websites: __**

Authors, Artists, Ideas, Thoughts of Transcendentalism []

Transcendentalism: [|CX3401804259&docType=GALE&role]=

Transcendentalism2: [|//http://www.ask.com/bar?q=Literature+Reform+in+1840&page=1&adt=0&qsrc=0&dm=all&ab=4&title=Reform%3A+American+History+Through+Literature&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.enotes.com%2Famerican-history-literature%2Freform&sg=M0kATFgGRrotZf2xBOP7Yfh3oMPvLVRX0ZigADxhvYg%3D&tsp=1257876939852//]

Romanticism [|CX3401803645&docType=GALE&role]=

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