The Romantic period in American literature was heavily influenced by historical events and social changes in the country. Authors like Longfellow, Bryant, Hawthorne, and Poe were writing during a time of great upheaval and transformation in America. Their works reflected not only the personal experiences and observations of these writers, but also the broader cultural and societal shifts taking place in their time.
One notable example of this is Longfellow's "Paul Revere's Ride" poem. Published in
1860, the poem was written during a period of great political tension leading up to the American
Civil War. The poem tells the story of Paul Revere's famous ride through the countryside to warn the American colonists of an impending British attack. Longfellow takes creative
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Through his poem,
Longfellow creates a sense of national unity and pride, calling upon Americans to rally together against a common enemy. This theme of patriotism and national identity was a common thread throughout Romantic literature in America.
Another key theme of Romantic literature was the exploration of death and the afterlife.
William Cullen Bryant's poem "Thanatopsis" is a good example of this. Bryant believed that death was a natural part of life and that the dead were not truly gone, but instead lived on in nature. This belief is reflected in lines such as "All that breathe / Will share thy destiny" (lines
61-62). Bryant's writing style is marked by a strong emphasis on nature and the natural world, which he viewed as a source of comfort and solace.
The theme of morality and the consequences of one's actions is explored in Washington
Irving's short story "The Devil and Tom Walker". Set during the Puritan era in New England,