Period+5+-+Literature+&+Art

=**﻿ ﻿ Art and Literature** =



**A Quick Summary of Art and Literature:** This reform movement was centered around the creation of a distinct American culture through art and literature. The Romantic Movement heavily influenced both of these areas of reform. Artists focused on the natural, rugged beauty of the American landscape while authors celebrated individualism in their novels and poetry. American writers were also inspired by the new philosophies of the time, such as transcendentalism. They also began working with American themes and developing an important literary genre called the short story. Leading transcendentalists, such as Emerson and Thoreau, simplified their lives by using nature and intuition as their guides. They refused the growing industrial ways and believe other truths exist that go beyond, or transcend, proof. Together, the reforms in art and literature developed a new American spirit.

Art Reforms:
 * < Causes ||< **Literature and Transcendentalism: **
 * The romantic impulse sweeping the nation inspired transcendentalism in Americans.
 * Transcendental philosophies emerged in Concord, MA. Writers from New England borrowed from German philosophers and English writers.
 * Transcendentalists feared the rapid economic development of the nation and the impact it had on the "natural world." They believed nature was a source of inspiration which individuals could use to discover truth. Instead, the earth was being used for economic motives or as a place for scientists to study.
 * The uneasy feelings toward capitalism/land destruction provoked transcendental writers.
 * "The mountains and cataracts, which were to have made poets and painters have been mined for anthracite and dammed for water power." -Oliver Wendell Holmes
 * Writers were inspired by the spirit of romanticism and individualism.
 * Novels full of adventure and challenge were written during this time period. The expansion westward stimulated novels full of suspense, such as James Fenimore Cooper's "Leatherstocking Tales"
 * The fear of disorder also motivated a new style of writing. Cooper's novels, set in the wilderness, suggested the need for social discipline.
 * Until the nineteenth century, most of American culture was closely based on European culture. In the antebellum period, however, American writers began working with American topics. Some subjects were: Histories and biographies of Revolutionary War heroes (like George Washington), Memoirs and autobiographies (like the autobiography of Frederick Douglass), and the California Gold Rush.


 * European artists believed they stood at the center of the world of art and were unimpressed with American art.
 * "In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book? or goes to an American play? or looks at an American statue?" -Sidney Smith, 1820 (Brinkley, 320)
 * Artists were exposed to a new, unsettled land with rugged scenery, for example, The Rocky Mountains. This gave them the opportunity to paint scenes that were not like those of European cities and countryside.
 * American painters, like Benjamin West and Gilbert Stuart had died, so new generations of painters with their own ideas were coming. ||
 * < Tactics/Strategies Used || **Painters-**
 * **Hudson River School-** decided to R r eflecte d three main themes in their paintings, and they which consisted of: ﻿ D d iscovery, exploration, and settlement.
 * instead of gentle country scenes, painters used artists painted wild and rugged areas
 * "Sublime" feeling of awe and wonderment and fear of grandeur of nature
 * Emphasized America with its wilderness as a place to escape to and where your mind is allowed to wander
 * Transcendentalists-**
 * [|Ralph Waldo Emerson] worked to promote nature with his book __Nature__ published in 1836
 * __Nature__ included main chapters such as Commodity, Beauty, Discipline, Language, Idealism, Prospects, and Spirit
 * He inspired college-age students, among the crowd was Henry David Thoreau
 * Spoke to Harvard and other colleges and gave speeches such as his famous speech, "[|The American Scholar] "(primary source link) which was given on August 31, 1837. The speech warned everyone about the tyranny of received opinion and led others to the union of a spiritual life that involved nature.
 * With the industrialization of America, people were becoming caught up in the materialistic world and Emerson's goal was to create a simple life style which attracted many Americans
 * **Henry David Thoreau** was dedicated to making his life full of simplicity
 * He refused to pay the government tax, and therefore was jailed . and ﻿t﻿hat This made a statement of him rebelling against this new highly materialistic society. He also wrote many documentaries about his experiences with nature.
 * wrote many documentaries about his experiences with nature
 * "Most of the luxuries and many of the so-called comforts of life are not only not indispensable, but positive hindrances to the elevation of mankind." — Thoreau ||
 * < Goals ||< * Americans artists wanted to be independent of Europe and to create a distinct American style of painting. America's own national culture was still developing at this time.
 * Similar to the artists' goal, authors strived to create a truly American literature; for example, a new, vulgar sense of humor emerged - especially in the works of Mark Twain.
 * The goal of some southern writers was to glorify plantation life in romantic novels. Others were more realistic and focused on backwoods areas where "ordinary" people lived.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">The goal of transcendentalists was for individuals to use reason over understanding. Reason was the ability to grasp beauty and truth by relying on emotions and instincts. They also encouraged individuals to not conform to the nation's capitalistic society, and instead find truth in nature.
 * Ralph Waldo Emerson's "American Scholar" address at Harvard in 1837 was an important literacy milestone where he expressed his idea that Americans were self-reliant enough to develop a literature reflecting their own national character instead of looking up to European culture. "Our day of dependence, our long apprenticeship to the learning of other lands, draws to a close."
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Painters aimed to portray the wonder of the American landscape.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">Hudson River paintings showed an effort to preserve this "wild nature" unique to American that was beginning to disappear. ﻿"American scenery... has features, and glorious ones, unknown to Europe. The most distinctive, and prehaps the most impressive, of American scenery is its wilderness." -Thomas Cole 1836 ||
 * < Successes/Failures ||< The successes of the Art and Literature Movement are that they provided an escape from the industrial, materialistic society that was developing in the United States. Transcendentalism and enjoying nature was a successful attribute because it provided a reason for why some people were not enjoying this “new world.” This movement directly influenced the "Mental Sciences" movement of the mid 19th century which later became known as the New Thought movement which considered Emerson to be its intellectual father. Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, and Poe all disagreed with the capitalism and wanted to believe that their romantic ideas could be spread throughout the country. The development of the short stories genre which was greatly influenced by Washington Irving and Edgar Poe was a huge success because it is America's first genre. Also, the art reform movement was a success because it truly showed America as the rugged and wild place it once was and could still be. A failure was these romantic ideas were soon to be overpowered by the Age and Reason in the future. A nother failure was even though literature at this time promoted nature, trusting your intuition, and keeping things simple, America slowly became more industrial, despite their efforts. ||
 * Key People || Transcendentalism is any system of philosophy emphasizing the intuitive and spiritual above the experimental and material. It can also be defined as ﻿"the belief that some truths transced proof - reflected both a reaction to growing American materialism and confidence in humankind that led to social experiments and reform movements and continued to influence social movements through the twentieth century" (Loveland 581). So, transcendentalists were thought to think with their heart rather than their mind.

**Reason, instinct, intuition, faith and conviction** are all words to describe this reform movement


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 * Ralph Waldo Emerson:** born in 1803 in Boston, MA and became a prominent Transcendental reformist. He studied philosophy, religion and theology during his career and was important because he was one of the first reformists who wrote lectures and books. His writings were regularly in //The Dial// and //The Western Messenger// and wrote __Nature__, "The American Scholar" and "Address at Divinity College" in 1838.

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 * Henry David Thoreau:** born in 1817 in Concord, MA and was inspired by the work of Emerson so he became the protégé of Emerson. Thoreau was a writer who had many transcendental ideas and ended up writing the book __Walden__, and the essay [|Civil Disobedience] (primary source link). He wrote this in 1849 and it was in response to not paying the local poll tax. He believed that since the government was supporting slavery and the war with Mexico, he should not pay his money. The essay is famous for arguing that when government actions become unreasonable, they must be resisted. With the book __Walden__, he stayed in his cabin for two years at Walden Pond in MA, trying to experiment with self-sufficiency, which was a reaction to the growing commercialism and materialism in the United States. Even though he didn't completely cut himself off from the rest of society, he believed that only in nature could individuals really understand themselves and the purpose of life.

**Edgar Allan Poe:** Born in 1809, he was an American poet, critic, short story writer and the author of such inspiring horror works like "The Fall of the House of Usher" (1840). His work reflected his own pessimistic outlook on life and focused mainly on the mental state of the characters. He contributed greatly to the genres of horror and science fiction and Poe is now considered the father of modern detective story and highly praised as a poet. Some of his works include, "Tell-Tale Heart" (1843), and "Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1843).

[|Hudson River School] is part of the art reform movement in the early 1800's in which twenty one artists came together to create a new, reformed look at American life. The paintings were mostly landscapes that took an inside view of the beauty of nature. Some of the artists included were Thomas Cole, Frederic Church, and Asher Durand, who captured on canvas the massive trees, sparkling water, and lush American environment, conveying a sense of the majesty and mystery of the wilderness that was quickly disappearing.




 * Albert Bierstadt:** is one of the painters who was born in 1830 and part of the Hudson River School and his [|artwork] is shown above. He usually created large landscapes of American West. He reformed the idea of painting with a glow by adding a somewhat romantic, almost glowing, type of light in his paintings.[[image:800px-Cole_Thomas_The_Garden_of_Eden_1828.jpg width="480" height="345" caption="Thomas Cole's Garden of Eden"]]


 * Thomas Cole:** Famous painter who was part of the Hudson River School. He was famous for his waterfalls and contributed to the movement with is famous painting “The Garden of Eden.”


 * Thomas Moran:** Born in 1837 in England and a painter who was very successful at creating the Rocky Mountains and can be often referred to as a member of the // Rocky Mountain School // because he was so talented in that area. His paintings emphasized nature and the wildness of being outdoors //.//


 * Walt Whitman:** Born in 1819 and became an influential poet of the Transcendental period. He wrote a book of poetry called [|Leaves of Grass](primary source link) which was first published in 1855. Known for his free verse poems, Whitman was important because his work reached out to the common man and related with their lifestyle. ||
 * Key Events || * 1825 - Around this time the Hudson River School was founded. Thomas Cole is usually credited with the foundation of this art school. Artists painted scenes of the Hudson River Valley in New York as well as mountains, waterfalls, and other landscapes.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1826 - James Fenimore Cooper publishes __The Last of the Mohicans__. This novel included the experiences of American frontiersman.
 * 1836 - Founding of the Transcendental Club in Cambridge, MA starts Transcendentalism movement with prominent New England intellectuals such as George Putnam, Ralph Emerson, and Frederick Hedge.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1841 - Ralph Waldo Emerson publishes his most famous essay, "Self Reliance." Emerson was a leader in transcendentalism; his essay was based on the belief of an individual's "divinity."
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1845 - Edgar Allen Poe publishes "The Raven," a well-known poem. In general, Poe's poems encouraged individuals to explore a deeper world of emotion and spirit.
 * 1849 - Henry David Thoreau publishes "Resistance to Civil Government, also known as "Civil Disobedience." He describes his experience in refusing to pay a poll tax in protest of the government; he was jailed for that.
 * 1850 - Nathaniel Hawthorne publishes __The Scarlet Letter__ which became a best-seller.
 * 1851 - Herman Melville publishes __Moby Dick__, aother classic American novel.
 * 1852 - Hariet Beecher Stowe publishes __Uncle Tom's Cabin.__ It was an antislavery novel that was another best-seller of the time period.
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1854 - Henry David Thoreau publishes his most famous book, __Walden__. This book explored individualism and non-conformism based on Thoreau's experience living alone at Walden Pond
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I have not lived." -Henry David Thoreau (Brinkley, 323)
 * <span style="font-family: 'Arial','sans-serif'; font-size: 10pt;">1855 - Walt Whitman publishes __Leaves of Grass__, a collection of his poetry. Whitman's poems celebrated democracy, freedom, and the pleasures of life ||

Listen to the remarkable words of Henry David Thoreau himself!

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Bibliography:

Brinkley, Alan. "Literature and the Quest for Liberation." //American History: A// //Survey//. 11th ed. Boston: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., 2003. 320-322. Print.

Campbell, Donna, Dr. "Brief Timeline of American Literature and Events: Pre-1620 to 1920." //Washington State University//. Washington State University, 22 Feb. 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://www.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/ timefram.html>.

Folsom, Ed. "The Walt Whitman Archive." //Walt Whitman//. N.p., 2009. Web. 17 Nov. 2009. <http://www.whitmanarchive.org/>.

Loveland, Anne C. "Transcendental Movement Arises in New England." //Great Events// //From History The 19th Century//. Ed. John Powell. Vol. 2. Hackensack: Salem Press, Inc., 2007. 581-583. Print.

Rosenblum, Joseph. "Ralph Waldo Emerson." //Great Lives From History The 19th// //Century//. Ed. Charles Dickens. Vol. 2. Pasadena: Salem Press, Inc., 2007. 745-749. Print.

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"> CliffsNotes.com. Antebellum America: Literature, Art. 19 Nov 2010 <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/topicArticleId-25073,articleId-25047.html>. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"> "Transcendentalism." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. 18 Nov. 2010. Web. 21 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism>. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; display: block; overflow-x: hidden; overflow-y: hidden; text-align: left; text-decoration: none;"> <span style="background-color: #ffffff; color: #ff0000; margin: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-bottom: 0px; padding-left: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-top: 0px;">"Edgar Allan Poe - Biography and Works." The Literature Network: Online Classic Literature, Poems, and Quotes. Essays & Summaries. Web. 19 Nov. 2010. <http://www.online-literature.com/poe/>.

"U.S. History I: Antebellum America: Literature, Art - CliffsNotes." Get Homework Help with CliffsNotes Study Guides - CliffsNotes. Web. 17 Nov. 2010. <http://www.cliffsnotes.com/study_guide/Antebellum-America-Literature-Art.topicArticleId-25073,articleId-25047.html>.