Romanticism Essay
The Romantic Period of literature took place roughly 200 years ago, but examples of Romanticism can still be seen today. The Romantic authors most certainly had an impact on many of the artists that followed them. Edgar Allan Poe is often a name that comes to mind when discussing Romanticism and especially Dark Romanticism. Poe uses a lot of the traits common to Romanticism and many examples can be seen in his work, The Fall of the House of Usher. Some traits of Romanticism include the use of high drama, pathetic fallacy, and shocking climax. These traits still hold up in art and literature today and are often used by writer, director, and filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan uses such traits as high drama, pathetic fallacy, …show more content…
One of Poe’s works that shows off his use of popular Romantic traits is The Fall of the House of Usher. In The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe uses pathetic fallacy right from the beginning. He talks about how gloomy and mysterious the house is. Poe sets the stage with the following quote:
“DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.”
Poe sets a certain tone for his story and gives seemingly human emotions and traits to nature and inanimate objects. Similarly, M. Night Shyamalan uses this tactic to evoke a certain feeling throughout his film, The Village. Much like Poe, Shyamalan uses a dark introduction to set the stage for the upcoming story. While the story starts out optimistic, even in the opening credits, Shyamalan shows images of dark woods and uses eerie noises and a spooky soundtrack. A sense of loneliness takes over and the scene is set in a secluded village, an isolated place with few inhabitants. M. Night Shyamalan uses pathetic fallacy to have the woods turn dark when things in the village get dark. …show more content…
The Cask of Amontillado, Annabel Lee, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Black Cat are all examples where Poe has used a shocking climax. This is also a key characteristic of most of M. Night Shyamalan 's films - the Shyamalan twist. The shocking climax of The Village reveals that the film is not actually set in the 1800s, as we are lead to believe. The village was founded in the 1970s and it is the elders of the village who, like Romantics, have a thing for the past and choose to live a secluded lifestyle away from modern technology. This is all very dramatic but also not very plausible. Outsiders are kept out of the village by park rangers and it is a no fly zone. The townspeople are tricked into believing they live in the past. They do things the old fashioned way but not by choice. The author here makes that choice and perhaps sees it as a better way to live. It is a much more innocent time which is very much of the romantic mindset. The Village relies much more on drama than logic much like The Fall of the House of Usher
The Romantic Period of literature took place roughly 200 years ago, but examples of Romanticism can still be seen today. The Romantic authors most certainly had an impact on many of the artists that followed them. Edgar Allan Poe is often a name that comes to mind when discussing Romanticism and especially Dark Romanticism. Poe uses a lot of the traits common to Romanticism and many examples can be seen in his work, The Fall of the House of Usher. Some traits of Romanticism include the use of high drama, pathetic fallacy, and shocking climax. These traits still hold up in art and literature today and are often used by writer, director, and filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan. Shyamalan uses such traits as high drama, pathetic fallacy, …show more content…
One of Poe’s works that shows off his use of popular Romantic traits is The Fall of the House of Usher. In The Fall of the House of Usher, Poe uses pathetic fallacy right from the beginning. He talks about how gloomy and mysterious the house is. Poe sets the stage with the following quote:
“DURING the whole of a dull, dark, and soundless day in the autumn of the year, when the clouds hung oppressively low in the heavens, I had been passing alone, on horseback, through a singularly dreary tract of country; and at length found myself, as the shades of the evening drew on, within view of the melancholy House of Usher.”
Poe sets a certain tone for his story and gives seemingly human emotions and traits to nature and inanimate objects. Similarly, M. Night Shyamalan uses this tactic to evoke a certain feeling throughout his film, The Village. Much like Poe, Shyamalan uses a dark introduction to set the stage for the upcoming story. While the story starts out optimistic, even in the opening credits, Shyamalan shows images of dark woods and uses eerie noises and a spooky soundtrack. A sense of loneliness takes over and the scene is set in a secluded village, an isolated place with few inhabitants. M. Night Shyamalan uses pathetic fallacy to have the woods turn dark when things in the village get dark. …show more content…
The Cask of Amontillado, Annabel Lee, The Fall of the House of Usher, and The Black Cat are all examples where Poe has used a shocking climax. This is also a key characteristic of most of M. Night Shyamalan 's films - the Shyamalan twist. The shocking climax of The Village reveals that the film is not actually set in the 1800s, as we are lead to believe. The village was founded in the 1970s and it is the elders of the village who, like Romantics, have a thing for the past and choose to live a secluded lifestyle away from modern technology. This is all very dramatic but also not very plausible. Outsiders are kept out of the village by park rangers and it is a no fly zone. The townspeople are tricked into believing they live in the past. They do things the old fashioned way but not by choice. The author here makes that choice and perhaps sees it as a better way to live. It is a much more innocent time which is very much of the romantic mindset. The Village relies much more on drama than logic much like The Fall of the House of Usher