'Individualism In William Cullen Bryant's Thanatopsis'

Romanticism found its roots near the end of the 18th century and came into full swing between 1800-1850. The Romantic period involve an influx of new elements into the arts and literature. These elements included individualism, nature-worship, philosophic idealism, religious mysticism, opposition to political authority, and an interest into the supernatural. These elements became prevalent in response to the Industrial Revolution and the Enlightenment. Authors like William Cullen Bryant wrote about the afterlife, showing the growing colonial interest in the supernatural. His poem “Thanatopsis” discusses how all the dead people come together in nature that the living will never come to understand. As the fight for independence came into full

Emerson was adept in the use of imagery, but unlike the Realistic writers to come later on, Romantic authors used figurative language often in order to get the higher ideas across to the reader. In Emerson’s chapter titled “Nature”, the writing brings about the Romantic elements of nature-worship and individualism. A specific example would be “nature always wears the colors of the spirit”. This line shows the relationship of the observer and nature being intertwined and codependent through his use of avid figurative language. Washington Irving began to delve deeper into the supernatural in his satire titled “The Devil and Tom Walker”. Irving’s writing criticizes man’s willingness to do anything for success, including selling his soul to the Devil. As the story winds to Walker’s inevitable death, we can feel a sense of horror, one that has become prevalent in today’s society. Many modern movies are horror stories, delving into the dark corners of the human mind, playing with the ideas of the supernatural. The feelings created by these movies like Friday the 13th have become sought after by many Americans. The origins of these movies can be traced back to the writings of Nathaniel