Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) is perhaps the best-known American Romantic who worked in the so-called Gothic mode. His poems and stories explore the darker side of the Romantic imagination, dealing with the Grotesque, the supernatural, and the horrifying. Poe also rejected the rational and the intellectual in favour of the intuitive and the emotional, a dominant characteristic of the Romantic Movement.
For Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-64) literature also seemed to depend on the possibility of the Gothic. Hence, of particular interest to Hawthorne was the nature of evil. Like his contemporary Poe, Hawthorne also made extensive use of symbols.
One of Hawthorne’s and Poe’s distinctive concerns is also that of separating head and heart, intellect and soul. Hawthorne explored these Romantic ideas and the themes of obsession, loss and the impossibility of perfection extensively in his short stories “The Artist of the Beautiful” and “The Birthmark”.
However, in Poe’s life and works and thus also in “Ligeia” and “Morella”, the stories to be treated in this analysis, love, death and loss, are indissolubly entwined, and serve as the apotheosis of his science and the springboard for his horror. Some critics think that Poe was only a marketer of Gothic horror borrowed from the German models popular during his time. Hence, the pertinent issue in Poe becomes the origins for the terror of the soul.
In the following, it will be analyzed which aspects of American Romanticism are treated in Poe’ short stories “Ligeia” and “Morella” and in Hawthorne’s “The Artist of the Beautiful” and “The Birthmark”. For this reason, it is necessary to take a closer look at American Romanticism as a literary movement first.
Table of Contents
0. Introduction
1. American Romanticism
2. Gothic Horror and Lost Love in Poe’s “Ligeia” and “Morella”
3. Nature and Science in Hawthorne’s “The Artist of the Beautiful” and “The Birthmark”
4. Conclusion: Poe and Hawthorne Compared
Objectives and Themes
The primary objective of this paper is to analyze how key authors of the American Romantic period, specifically Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, incorporate and explore the defining aspects of American Romanticism within their short fiction. The study investigates how these authors diverge in their thematic focus—such as Poe’s preoccupation with the Gothic and the supernatural versus Hawthorne’s examination of the conflict between science, nature, and moral perfection—while both reflecting the broader cultural shifts of the nineteenth century.
- The influence of the Romantic Movement on American literary identity and the American Renaissance.
- Examination of Gothic elements, lost love, and the search for identity in Poe's selected short stories.
- The critique of scientific rationalism and its impact on nature and human beauty in Hawthorne's works.
- Comparison of the philosophical approaches of Poe and Hawthorne regarding the intellect, emotion, and the transcendental ideal.
Excerpt from the Book
3. Nature and Science in Hawthorne’s “The Artist of the Beautiful” and “The Birthmark”
In the mid-nineteenth century, Americans began to experience a shift in focus from the once stringent religious outlook to a more scientific view of the world. Americans, however, did look at these new scientific discoveries with much hesitation, questioning their long-term effects on society as a whole. Hawthorne’s stories “The Artist of the Beautiful” (1844) and “The Birthmark” (1844) echo these sentiments, dealing primarily with the conflict between science and nature.
“The Birthmark”, for instance, conveys the message to the reader that there is a price for tampering with the natural order of things. This story opens by explaining how educated and knowledgeable Aylmer is, and the narrator even suggests that he may have the power to alter nature: “We know not whether Aylmer possessed this degree of faith in man’s ultimate control over nature”. As Aylmer tries to use science to change nature, in his case, the birthmark on his wife’s cheek, his plan backfires and his wife dies. Georgiana’s death shows that knowledge is dangerous if used in the wrong way.
The influence of the evolution of culture has caused men to educate themselves, and learn extensive amounts about science. Nevertheless, some scientists like Aylmer take advantage of their intelligence and try to play the role of God. Aylmer allowed his mind to consume his heart, resulting in the senseless death of his beautiful wife. Culture teaches men that if they learn enough, they can manipulate nature. However, in this story, Hawthorne shows that intelligence still cannot overcome nature. Hence, culture appears to be self-destructive. The fact that the story is about removing a physical flaw from Georgiana’s face when she is already obviously beautiful demonstrates the degree to which Aylmer has allowed this pursuit of knowledge and culture to destroy his ability to perceive nature’s beauty.
Summary of Chapters
0. Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of the Romantic Era, situating Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne as pivotal figures of the American Renaissance who challenged traditional literary norms.
1. American Romanticism: This section defines the historical and cultural context of American Romanticism, highlighting its deviation from European models and its emphasis on individualism, nature, and the rejection of Enlightenment rationalism.
2. Gothic Horror and Lost Love in Poe’s “Ligeia” and “Morella”: This chapter analyzes how Poe integrates the Gothic grotesque with psychological themes to explore the nature of identity, memory, and the loss of the beloved.
3. Nature and Science in Hawthorne’s “The Artist of the Beautiful” and “The Birthmark”: This chapter examines Hawthorne's critical perspective on the conflict between scientific ambition and the natural world, illustrating the destructive consequences of prioritizing intellect over human emotion.
4. Conclusion: Poe and Hawthorne Compared: The final chapter synthesizes the findings, noting that while both authors are definitive American Romantic writers, they manifest the movement's dark, imaginative, and philosophical tenets through distinct thematic lenses.
Keywords
American Romanticism, American Renaissance, Edgar Allan Poe, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Gothic, Grotesque, Nature, Science, Intellect, Heart, Symbolism, Supernatural, Transcendentalism, Individualism, Aestheticism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core focus of this research paper?
The paper explores how American Romanticism is represented in the selected short stories of Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, focusing on their unique literary styles and thematic concerns.
What are the primary thematic areas covered?
The central themes include the Gothic imagination, the conflict between nature and science, the separation of intellect and emotion, and the impact of the nineteenth-century "American Renaissance" on literature.
What is the main objective of the analysis?
The objective is to compare how Poe and Hawthorne express the darker, more intense aspects of the Romantic tradition while maintaining their own distinct voices and philosophical inquiries.
Which scientific or literary methods are applied?
The author employs a literary-analytical approach, examining narrative structure, symbolism, and philosophical context to interpret the texts through the lens of Romanticism.
What topics are discussed in the main body?
The main body treats the definition of American Romanticism, the psychological and Gothic elements in Poe’s work, and the critique of rationalism and the "Artist" archetype in Hawthorne’s work.
Which keywords best describe this study?
The study is characterized by terms such as American Romanticism, Gothic, Nature, Science, Symbolism, and the exploration of the "Human Soul."
How does Poe utilize the Gothic mode to convey his themes?
Poe uses the Gothic to create a sense of vagueness and ethereal reality, often focusing on the loss of a beautiful woman to explore the boundaries between life, death, and human identity.
What does Hawthorne’s "The Birthmark" suggest about scientific hubris?
Hawthorne suggests that the pursuit of perfection through science, when separated from love and reverence for nature, is a self-destructive act that ignores the inherent beauty found in "imperfection."
- Quote paper
- Sirinya Pakditawan (Author), 2004, Aspects of American romanticism in short stories by Edgar Allan Poe and Nathaniel Hawthorne, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/59348
