Nature and The Past The 18th century had a huge impact in literature, due to the creation of transcendentalism and romanticism. Transcendentalism developed in New England. Influenced my romanticism, it focuses on the importance of nature, and teaches people a whole new view of the world. Romanticism on the other hand, emphasized on connecting the past with the present. Many writers like Henry David Thoreau, Washington Irving, Edgar Allan Poe, and Nathaniel Hawthorne relied heavily on using romanticism and transcendentalism in their works. Transcendentalists focused on connecting to nature among other things, while romantics were fascinated by the connection of the past and present. Throughout Walden by Henry David Thoreau, transcendentalism
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The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne revolves around the history and the past of the Pyncheon family. A curse is given to Colonel Pyncheon by Mathew Maul, second before he was hanged for witchcraft. This curse becomes passed through generations to the Pyncheon family. The author tries to show how old Maule 's curse afflicts his false accuser and all his descendants for two centuries. ( Delany, Bill). The time and torment of the future descendents of the Pyncheon family is a frequent romanticism theme. By the descendants always referring back to their family curse, they are adding to Hawthorne 's use of romanticism as they dwell on the past. In the same topic, Hawthorne loved using such details. He describes the light patterns changing inside the room as the sun moves from east to west " Meanwhile the twilight is glooming upward out of the corners of the room. The shadows of the tall furniture grow deeper, and at first become more definite; then, spreading wider, they lose their distinctness of outline in the dark gray tide of oblivion, as it were, that creeps slowly over the various objects, and the one human figure sitting in the midst of them." ( Delany, Bill). The description of light and dark imagery was very common in gothic …show more content…
Transcendentalism was used by many authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. All these authors used this to describe their respect towards nature. Many also go into depth about many things others don’t appreciate. Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne are romantics that focus on connecting the past with the present. These two authors are also gothic romantics who also focused on the exotic. Washington Irving 's "Rip Van Winkle" falls between both
The House of Seven Gables by Nathaniel Hawthorne revolves around the history and the past of the Pyncheon family. A curse is given to Colonel Pyncheon by Mathew Maul, second before he was hanged for witchcraft. This curse becomes passed through generations to the Pyncheon family. The author tries to show how old Maule 's curse afflicts his false accuser and all his descendants for two centuries. ( Delany, Bill). The time and torment of the future descendents of the Pyncheon family is a frequent romanticism theme. By the descendants always referring back to their family curse, they are adding to Hawthorne 's use of romanticism as they dwell on the past. In the same topic, Hawthorne loved using such details. He describes the light patterns changing inside the room as the sun moves from east to west " Meanwhile the twilight is glooming upward out of the corners of the room. The shadows of the tall furniture grow deeper, and at first become more definite; then, spreading wider, they lose their distinctness of outline in the dark gray tide of oblivion, as it were, that creeps slowly over the various objects, and the one human figure sitting in the midst of them." ( Delany, Bill). The description of light and dark imagery was very common in gothic …show more content…
Transcendentalism was used by many authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. All these authors used this to describe their respect towards nature. Many also go into depth about many things others don’t appreciate. Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne are romantics that focus on connecting the past with the present. These two authors are also gothic romantics who also focused on the exotic. Washington Irving 's "Rip Van Winkle" falls between both