Light Vs Dark Romanticism

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Light Romanticism VS. Dark Romanticism American romanticism, originating in the 1800’s, still interests the minds of a twenty-first century reader! Romanticism is the movement of art and thought, but it started off in Europe and then made its way to the United States. Romanticism is divided into two types: dark and light. Writers focused on topics like imagination, intellect, and reason. Authors like Melville and Hawthorne, who wrote dark romantic tales, focused on the destructive aspects of nature. Other authors like Thoreau and Emerson focussed on something completely different in light romanticism. While dark romanticism focussed on the negativity in nature and the world, light romanticism valued nature and moral and spiritual guide to …show more content…

They both have a different view on the power that humans have: the good and the bad. For example, in Henry David Thoreau’s essay Walden, he explains how humans have the power to achieve anything the aspire. He states, “If you build castles in the air, your work need not be lost; that is where they should be. Now put the foundations under them” (Thoreau 208). By this, he is saying to believe in yourself and you’ll succeed. Everyone has the potential and power to achieve their dreams if they put their mind to it. The authors of light romantic writings focused on the power that humans have the ability to do anything they desire to do in their life. Dark romanticism also shows how humans are powerful, but these authors stereotype all humans as being powerful in a negative way. For instance, in The Minister’s Black Veil, it says, “I look around me, and, Lo! On every visage a Black Veil” (Hawthorne 275). In this short story, a black veil represents a terrible sin or how terrible human nature can be. Therefore, Mr. Hooper is saying that every person wears a terrible sin or something that makes them powerful in a negative way. As you can see, both types of literature from the romanticism time period involve the power that humans all have potential or how terrible humans can

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