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Romanticism in America: the Great Awakening

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Romanticism in America: the Great Awakening Deep Blue Deep Blue https://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/documents Research Collections Library (University of Michigan Library) 1996 Romanticism in America: the Great Awakening Beam, Kathryn L. https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/120275 Downloaded from Deep Blue, University of Michigan's institutional repository Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864) ROMANTICISM IN AMERICA: THE GREAT AWAKENING Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) ROMANTICISM IN AMERICA: THE GREAT AWAKENING June 12 - August 28, 1996 Special Collections Library Unversity of Michigan Ann Arbor, Michigan INTRODUCTION Who were America's first men of letters? Were they Jonathan Edwards whose sermons were so powerful, Thomas Paine whose rh etoric aroused the emo­ ti ons of our nation-ta-be, Benjamin Fra nklin whose clear and eloquent prose was so ll15tru cti ve and persuasive" and Philip Frenea u whose poems, ballads and satires made him a pioneer in th e w riting of artistic literature in America? Perhaps they were; or maybe they could have been. Yet, in almost every casE', lack of readers, irwdequate financial and literary recognition, and even changing personal priorities prohibited these men from finding their luJi expression as authors. That they never attained the height of genius in the realm of belJes-Iettres is probably as m uch an accident of their times as of their talents. By the early nineteenth century, hm<\'€ver, the economic and political growth of the country was so far-reaching that a demand lor a national literature began to be heard. Political independence-reaffirmed by the War of 181 2-caJled lor indepen­ dence in cultural and intellectual matters as well. What was needed was a literature based upon American ideals and experience, yet of an artis tic quality to equal or surpass English models. The three writers who met this challenge in the early 18005 were Washington Irving, William Cullen Bryant, and James Fenimore Cooper. By 1825 all three had established th emselves as men of le tters whose work was important enough to command the attention 01 cultivated Europeans. Each contributed to the rise of a nationa l literature, selecting subjects and methods 01 treatment that in the decades ahead inspired Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel l-f awthorne, and Herman Melville in the (It,,,aley forms and techniques. No would American wri ters Copyrighl 1996 by the Uni versi ty of Michigan Library. An n Arbor, MIchigan . have to turn solely to the Old World for models of excellence. & These ,,'uLters were for the most p" rt rODlitntic::i-rnCIl like Willi.lIH FLOOR CASES 1 2 Wordsworth (1770-1850) or Sir Walter Scott (1771 -1832) who fo und inspi ra ti on in the beauties of nature and in escape from r ea lj~ y in faraway pJ ilces, in legends of the PClst, and in the bizarre or unusual. Their writitlgs often glorified the common man and ex pre"cd a belief in the individual. Richard George Tietze (fl. 1880-1905). Portrait of Washington Irving, reproduced in Such a spirit of romanticism had a lready played an important part in Wa shillgtoll/roillg, a Sketch, by George W. Curtis. New York: The Groher Club, America's denial of European authority and cultural influence, its pride in the 1891. American ideas which had created the Republic, and its delight in the infinite wealth, opportunities, and natural beauties of an unspoiled land. By the 18205, this same Washington Irving was both the mos t polished and the most popular Ameri­ spirit was prompting America's first real literary creators, culminating by the 1850s can prose writer of his generation. No study of the emergence or American Litera­ in w h<1t is sometimes called "the romantic triumph" in th e d evelopment lI f Americn n ture during the first half of the nineteenth century can ignore the contributions of literature. this man who has been call ed "our first c1a" ic." As a stylist and poetic interpreter of legend, Irving gave to the literature of the United States its first promise of eventual This exhibit presents an overview of the contributions of these eMly propo­ maturity. Emerson and Hawthorne may have spoken more clearly, Thoreau may nents of romanticism in America . have been tho ught more strange and Poe mo re Shocking, and Melville and Whitman may have m ore greatly extended the horizons of readers, but of all these Irving was Kathryn L. Beam, Curator the more famous and respected. It was Irving who reversed the judgment of the Old World that Americans could not write; he was the first to achieve international fame. George Sanderlin describes Irving as "the 'morning star' of a new literature, the imaginative writings of the American Republic." The portrait of Irving shown here was engraved on wood by R. G. Tietze from the original India-ink sketch drawn by John Wesley Jorvis (1 781-1 839) around 1809. Jarvis, considered by some to be the f,'remost portrait painter of his timo in New York, enjoyed a national reputation, and associated with many of the leading fi g ures in American society. In addition to Irving, he painted portraits of Henry Clay, Thomas Paine, DeWitt Clinton , James Fenimore Cooper, and others. Washington Irving (1783-1859). Letters of !<>llalhall Oldstyle, Gell/. New York: William H . Clayton, 1824. Washington Irving's talents and prnmise were recognized during a preco­ cious childhood, although he did not receive much formal schooling. Instead, he prospered from the excitement of his New York City environment during years of rapid ex pansion, and by contact with the wnrld of artists (lnd writers to which he was introduced by his older brothers. When his brother Peter became editor of the new William Cullen Bryant (1794-1878) Momil1g Chronicle, Irving contributed a serics of nine sporti ve essays, from N ovem­ ber 15, 1802, to April 23, 1803, over the signoture of "Jonathan Oldstyle, Gent." The It writing may be amateurish, but it is a livel ), sa tire on th eatrical and social New Yo rk, cm d much of what Ir ving would do best is foreshadowed here. settlers in New Amsterdam, red-breeched Jefferson and his Democrats, English, French, and Spanish literature, and even Ul e quizzical auUo or himself are all targets of All but the fi b t of these letters and the first paragraph of th e second letter Irving's pen. Many people of Dutch descent resented Ule attack, but most of New were reprinted in the Chronicle Express, a semi-weekly periodical also edited and York loved it. Sir Walter Scott (1771-1832) said that it made his sides "absolutelv sore published by Peter Irving. They were not published again until thi s pirated edition with laughter." It was soon translated into a half-dozen languages and over tll: appeared in 1824 contnini.n g th e sa me omissions as in the Chrollicle . years has rivaled 171e Skelch Book in popularity. Its success was so great, in fact, that in its first year Irving earned the princely sum of $2,000 in royalties. The first edition appeared in 1809 and by 1812 another edition was in de­ Washington Irving (1 783-1859) . Sal/1/aglllI.ti; or, The Whim-whaIlI s al1d Opil1ions of mand. The text frequently varies between the two editions, and in 1812 Irving added LalIl1celol Langslaff, Esq. al1d Olhers. New York: Printed & Published by D. considerable material to the" Account of th" Author." Longworth, 1808. 2 vols. After a tour of Europe (1804-1806), Irving returned to New York enriched with new fri ends, new manners, and several notebooks fill ed with anecdotes and descriptions which would serve for many a future story and tole. He guickly beca me Washington Irving (1783-1859). The Sket ch Book of Geoffrey Cray"'" Ge11l. New York: associated with the gay society of the "Nine Worthies," a li vely group which in­ Printed by C S. Van Winkle, 1819-1820. cluded his bro thers Peter and William, and fellow outhor James Kirke P,,"lding (1778-1860). Their interest in writing led to a series 01 twenty yellow-backed pam­ "Who reads an American book?" asked scornful British critic Sydney Smith phlets which th ey published anonymously from January 24, 1807, to January 25, in 1820. The an swer was that very few peop le did. They InJY h("lve read America's 1808. The sixty-five essays of Salmagllndi (-1 re audacious sketches satirizing New inspiring political documents, some religioll s tracts and sermons, maybe even York's social li fe , books, th ea tres, politics, and personalities. The identities of the Benjamin Franklin's AlItobiography, but certainly not "polite literature"-poetry, authors soon became kn own, and Ir ving's reputatio n as a w riter and a w it was drama, short stories, and essays! greatly enhanced . "One American changed all that," says critic George Sanderlin. In the ve ry According to bibliographer William R. Langfeld, the appearance of the year that the guestion was asked, Washingt"n Irving publi shed his Ske tch Book. In it, twenty pamphlets bound together into two volumes, as shown here, was probably Rip Van Winkle and lchabod Crane made their unforgettable appearances. In a due to their increasing popularity. The publishers found that the separate issues gracious and finished style, Irving offered descriptions of English scenes such as were being preserved and bound, and, therefore, brought out their own se t with the Stratford-on-Avon, Westminster Abbey, ancl the Boar's H ead Tavern. Lord Byron additions of title pages and i.ndexes. (1788-1824) said Ulat "Crayon [Irving's pseudonym] ..
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