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Edgar Allan Poe
Poe was born on January 19,1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Edgar Allan Poe is an american writer, editor and literary critic. He is known for his mystery and horror poems as well as his short stories. He is the creator of modern day detective stories. Growing up Poe never really got to know his parents, Elizabeth Arnold Poe (British actress) and David Poe Jr. (Actor). His dad left home during Poe’s earlier years of life and his mother passed away from tuberculosis when he was three years old. -
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Common Dark Romantic Themes
Most of the works in the Dark Romantic literature have some of the same basic ideas weaved into their works. They have pessimistic perceptions of life and humans. Dark romanticists believed in revealing human flaws, punishment, and criticizing hypocrisy. They didn't believe in the divine few or innate goodness. Also, nature was more harsh and evil. Anthropomorphism: giving human qualities to non-human things was also a common aspect in their literature. -
The Minister's Black Veil
This novel was published in 1832, as a part of his Twice-Told Tales series, and talks about how Mr. Hooper, a young minister of a religious community, wears a black veil covering his entire face excluding his mouth and chin to make up for accidentally killing one of his friends. He wears this veil thinking that maybe he can hide from God and the people but then one day he hypocritically preaches an unusual sermon about how God sees everything and how no one can hide their sinful nature from him. -
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Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts. He later attended Bowdoin College and graduated in 1825. After graduating he went home to live with his mother for 12 years where he wrote various works in a room called the "dismal chamber." Hawthorne was characterized as depressed and distant from society, which is evident in his books with themes of: death, sin, and isolation. Hawthorne continued to write up until 1860, then his mental health started to decline and he died in 1864. -
Dr. Heidegger's Experiment
This book is also apart of the Twice-Told Tales Volume 1 published in 1837. Dr. Heidegger's Experiment tests a group of 4 elderly men and women and uses them to represent the 7 Deadly Sins. It fits with the Dark Romantic genre because it exposes the sinful nature of humans and how vain and corrupt they can truly be. Also, one of the main themes is that people usually don't learn from their mistakes; common human fallibility that Hawthorne often wrote about. -
The Fall of the House of Usher
The Fall of the House of Usher is a short horror story written by Edgar Allan Poe. Published in 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and issued in Tales (1845). Roderick Usher a childhood friend of the narrator invited him to visit. Usher seems to believe that they buried his twin sister, Madeline, alive in the family vault. At the end of the book she appears in a blood-stained shroud that causes the visitor to run away in terror as he looks back the splitting house sinks into the lake. -
The Raven
The Raven is considered one of Poe's most renowned work. It's themes include death and the supernatural. He illustrates the effects on the living of losing a loved one and how it warps your mind. The poem also explores grief and how miserable and seemingly inescapable it is. It uses a raven to be a persistent reminder to the man experiencing loss that the memory of the person can never be forgotten and the absence of their presence will forever loom over his head. -
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Herman Melville
Melville was born on August 1,1819 in New York City, New York. During the mid-1820’s, Herman fell ill with the scarlet fever at a very young age although he recover his vision was permanently impaired by the illness. He worked as a crew member on several vessels during the 1840’s which lead to the development of his successful novels that laid the foundation of his career. Herman Melville was an american novelist, short story writer, and poet. One of the greatest American writers to ever live. -
The Scarlet Letter
In The Scarlet Letter, Hawthorne puts emphasis on his dissatisfaction with the Puritan society because they always judged their peers before examining themselves. He illustrates this with Hester Prynne's public humiliation and push into isolation. Also, the novel shows mental growth in Hester when she is shamed and sent to the outskirts of town she thinks about her identity and searches to define herself instead of the townspeople. -
Moby-Dick
Moby-Dick was first known as The Whale which was written by Herman Melville and was published in London in October of 1851. The young outcast narrator talks about his last journey on the ship Pequod where he voyages with Captain Ahab who is obsessed with Moby-Dick, a giant whale.The book is filled with rich symbolism and metaphors regarding human's relationship with others. It was written in dedication to Nathaniel Hawthorne. It's regarded as a masterpiece and one of American's greatest novels.
