A course paper on American novelists in the romantic period** Title: The Characters and Contribution of American Novelists in the Romanticism Period **
** abstract **: The American romantic period was an important stage in the history of American literature. The novelists of this period showed their unique writing style and profound thoughts. This paper will discuss the common characteristics of the American novelists in the romantic period, the significance of the representative writers and their works, and analyze the far-reaching influence of the creation of novels in this period on the development of American literature.
** I. Common characteristics of American novelists in the romantic period **
(I) Strong subjective color
American romantic novelists preferred to express their subjective thoughts and pay attention to the expression of personal feelings and experiences. They put the subjective first and looked down on objective descriptions and imitations. For example, in terms of character creation, plot setting, and language use, it often had a strong personal imagination. It often put the psychological activities and intuition of the characters first, such as Hawthorne's work The Scarlet Letter.
II. Description and Love of Nature
They liked to describe and praise nature, often placing the characters in the simple and quiet nature to set off the ugliness of the real society and show the beauty of their own understanding.
(3) The importance of medieval folk literature
From the source of creative materials and inspiration, novelists of this period attached great importance to medieval folk literature, which helped to enrich the cultural and artistic content of their works.
(4) Rich imagination and sincere emotional expression
In terms of writing techniques, novelists had rich imagination, sincere feelings, freedom of expression, simple and natural language, and at the same time, they paid attention to the creation of artistic effects.
(5) Avoidance and Criticisms of Reality
Due to their dissatisfaction and disappointment with social reality, mainstream American romantic novelists mostly avoided the real life of the surrounding cities centered on industry and commerce. They focused on the past, overseas or rural life, and used idealized past, nature, and exotic customs to criticize reality.
** 2. Representative authors and their works **
(I) Nathaniel Hawthorne
1. life experience
Hawthorne was born on July 4, 1804, in Salem, Mass., into a declining noble family. When she was four years old, her father died, and her mother took her child to her grandfather. His childhood experiences made him eccentric, but he also developed a hobby of reading. He graduated from Borden University with the help of his relatives and lived in seclusion for 12 years. In 1850, he published his first long narrative novel, The Scarlet Letter, and became famous. He died on May 19, 1864.
2. The characteristics and significance of the work
Hawthorne was an American romantic novelist in the 19th century. He was also the first writer to write short stories in the history of American literature. He created the genre of psychoanalysis in American romantic literature. He wrote more than 100 works in his life, including novels, short stories, essays, biographies, etc. His works attacked the influence of evil religions on people and expressed his thoughts on religious concepts and social problems. The Scarlet Letter took America in the colonial era as its theme, exposing the cruelty of American social laws, the deception of religion, and the hypocrisy of morality in the 19th century capitalist era. This work was not only the representative work of American romantic novels, but also regarded as the pioneering work of American psychoanalysis novels. It was a classic in American literature. Its obscure theme, unique form, and ingenious literary and artistic techniques had always been the research object of the literary world.
(II) Herman Melville
1. Character of the work
His Moby Dick was published in 1851. It was a long novel about the ocean. The content was extensive and profound, and the forms were rich and varied. Melville's works were influenced by Hawthorne and other romantic writers. His works also reflected some characteristics of the romantic period, such as the description of the power of nature (the sea) and the description of the character's psychology.
Washington Irving
Although he didn't delve into the psychology of the characters like Hawthorne, his works were full of romanticism. Through depicting local customs and historical stories, he showed the diverse nature of American romantic literature.
Whitman
His poems and novels embodied the spirit of freedom and the banner of the doctrine of the romanticism. His works were bold and unconstrained, focusing on the expression of personal emotions. At the same time, they also reflected the yearning for freedom and equality in American society at that time, which played a role in promoting the development of American literature.
** 3. The significance and influence of the creation of novels in the American romantic period **
(I) To promote the development of literary thoughts
American Romanticism was an anti-realism, anti-rationality, and anti-naturalism literary trend. The novelists promoted the development of literary trends by promoting personality, expressing emotions, and challenging the concept of absolute truth.
(II) Expansion of literary forms and subjects
The novelists of this period had developed a variety of topics and styles. There were not only works like The Scarlet Letter that criticized social religion and morality, but also oceanic novels like Moby Dick. In terms of form, Hawthorne created the genre of psychoanalysis, which opened up a new field for American literature in terms of form and content.
(III) Impact on Later Literature
The creation of novelists in this period influenced the creation of many literary masters in later generations. For example, Hawthorne influenced Herman Melville and other writers with his unique style, creativity, conception, and symbolism, laying the foundation for the continuous development of American literature. His works are still an important model for literary research and learning, and have a significant influence on modern American literature and even world literature.
To sum up, the American novelists of the romantic period had left their mark in the history of literature with their unique writing style, profound thoughts, and diverse forms of subject matter. Their works and creative ideas still had important research value and far-reaching influence.
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