Romanticism in American Literature

Romanticism in American literature, emerging in the early 19th century, emphasized individual imagination, emotion, and nature over reason and tradition. Writers celebrated personal intuition, the sublime beauty of the natural world, and often explored themes of heroism, spirituality, and individual freedom. This movement was a reaction against Enlightenment ideals and industrialization, encouraging a focus on personal experience and the mysteries of life. Notable authors like Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Walt Whitman used rich imagery and emotional depth to explore human nature and the American landscape, shaping a distinctly American literary voice rooted in authenticity and introspection.