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American Romanticism
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Thanatopsis - William Cullen Bryant
In his poem, Bryant explores death through the life cycle, and finds comfort for living and for dying. This poem reflects the theme of NATURE. -
Rip Van Winkle - Washington Irving
Rip Van Winkle is a short story written by Washington Irving, and it follows the ESCAPISM theme. It's about a man who wanders out into the woods to escape chores his wife made him do. He was in the woods for 20 years and escapes chores and wife. -
The Pioneers - James Fenimore Cooper
The Pioneers is a novel that follows the NATURE and SEEING THE COMMON MAN AS A HERO theme. The novel feature the character Natty Bumppo as the first American hero. He is young, innocent, and awkward with the ladies. He has a solid moral code, and is questing for higher truth. He also loves nature. -
Essays, First Series - Ralph Waldo Emerson
One of his stories, "Self-Reliance", is about how everyone should rely on themselves. It fits the theme of INDIVIDUALISM. -
The Tell-Tale Heart - Edgar Allan Poe
The short story, "The Tell-Tale Heart), is written by Edgar Allan Poe and it follows the DARK ROMANTICISM theme. It is about a man who insists that he is sane even after murdering an old man with a "vulture eye". -
The Raven - Edgar Allan Poe
follows the DARK ROMANTICISM theme -
The Rhodora - Ralph Waldo Emerson
"The Rhodara" is a poem about a flower and the beauty and power of nature. It falls under the theme of NATURE. -
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne
"The Scarlet Letter" is a historical fiction novel that follows the theme of DARK ROMANTICISM. -
Moby Dick - Herman Melville
In Melville's novel, he writes about some of the most beautiful descriptions of the natural world, and especially the ocean. It follows the theme of NATURE. -
Walden - Henry David Thoreau
In his book, Thoreau talks about nature, the importance of staying true to our own individuality, and the necessity of self-reliance. The book reflects the theme of INDIVIDUALITY and NATURE. -
Leaves of Grass - Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman's poems were simple and composed in “free verse”, so they didn’t follow a scheme. His poem, "Leaves of Grass" follow the INDIVIDUALISTIC, IMAGINISM and NATURE theme.
