Dark Romanticism
1836 - 1840's

Andrea Thurnheer
&
Alex Gunn

CHARACTERISTICS

• Anthropomorphized evil, like vampires and ghouls
• Humans prone to sin and self-destruction
• Nature gives humanity hellish revelations
• Uncanny, dark, dystopian, and violent setting

AMERICA IN 1836

• Antebellum period; reformers were improving quality of life
• After second Great Awakening, more religion in society
• American Renaissance, new culture

FAMOUS AUTHORS

• Edgar Allan Poe
• Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Herman Melville
• Mary Shelley
• Bram Stoker

FAMOUS WORKS

• "The Raven"
• "Moby Dick"
• "The Scarlet Letter"
• "The Fall of the House of Usher"

QUESTIONS

• Why does Dark Romance focus on sin, while the rest of 19th century society focuses on man's greatness?
• Why is there a double standard with personal acheivement during this time period?
• Does Dark Romance have anything to do with the time period?

"I became insane with long intervals of horrible sanity" ~ Edgar Allan Poe