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How did the Romantic period encourage American authors to use native settings and characters?
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American literature
Map of Virginia from John Smith's The Generall Historie of Virginia, New England, and the Summer Isles, 1624.
Following the American Revolution and the War of 1812, American authors faced increasing pressure to produce a literature that was distinctly native rather than derivative of British models. The Romantic period provided the philosophical framework for this shift by emphasizing the individual, the power of inspiration, and the importance of nature.123
This movement encouraged writers to explore the American landscape and society in unprecedented ways. By focusing on native settings and characters, authors sought to express a unique national spirit. Key examples include:124
- James Fenimore Cooper: His Leatherstocking Tales celebrated the American wilderness and the frontiersman Natty Bumppo, often utilizing the "noble savage" concept popular during the era.12
- Washington Irving: He adapted European folktales into Americanized settings, such as the Catskill Mountains in "Rip Van Winkle" and the Hudson Valley in "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow".12
- Transcendentalists: Writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau helped establish a national culture rooted in native elements, celebrating the individual and the natural world.24