Dark Romantics

Poe, Melville, and Hawthorne

Dark Romantic Beliefs

Shares Emerson’s view of the symbolic aspects of nature especially as a symbol of the human spiritRejects Emerson’s optimism about humans. Tends to deal with the darker aspects of human nature: I.e madness, obsession, secret sin, violence, and duplicity.

Edgar Allan Poe

Arabesque--use of the supernatural to symbolize the human conditionGrotesque--Heightening of one aspect of a character’s personalityDeath--The death of a loved one and the effects of grief on the psyche.

Melville

Ambiguity--It is often difficult to distinguish good from evil. Melville’s symbols, like nature itself, are open to a variety of interpretations. Madness--Often caused by ambiguity or the attempt to surpass the limits of knowledgeIndividuals vs. Society

Hawthorne

Alienation - a character is in a state of isolation because of self-cause, or societal cause, or a combination of both.

Problem of Guilt -a character's sense of guilt forced by the puritanical heritage or by society; also guilt vs. innocence.