Renaissance and Its Role in the Emergence of an American Style - Essay Example

American Literature      Inserts His/Her   Inserts Grade Inserts 28 November 2008         American Renaissance has often been regarded as a helpful movement that visualized America as the real descendant of the great Western civilization. Historians have identified the middle of 19th century as the real period of Renaissance which extends from 1800 to 1870. It has also marked in history as an age that laid concrete on most of the American masterpieces. Western writing style is more direct and straight forward, while Renaissance planted the seeds of an indirect style in American writing. Analyzing the history of America, it is evident that Renaissance has an elite role in the emergence of an ‘American style’ in writings. After a detailed analysis of the history of American literature, one can see that after Renaissance, writers in America have followed a new style or method of storytelling and versification. The expression of national spirit is another major characteristic of new American style. Number of narrative poems written during that period has remarked the spirit of American nationality. It was the time when American literature adopted various subjects such as Gothic romance, horror stories, historical fiction based on Colonial America and the great Civil War. The emergence of the new intellectual movement called, American Transcendentalism is another important factor which exerted its influence in American writing style. The exponents of Transcendentalism argue that each and every person finds his/her way to transcendence all the way through self realization, knowledge and the harmonies of the nature. The web article entitled: ‘American Renaissance,’ notices that “Transcendentalism in the United States became popular among scholars, ministers, and intellectuals in and around Concord, Massachusetts” (American Renaissance –Introduction, 2009). The exponents of Transcendentalism have concentrated a new culture based on native rudiments or ‘Americans’. American ideal of individual consciousness and actions is the most significant features of American style. Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of the striking figures in Renaissance literature has given more emphasis on the philosophy of self reliance which represents the need for the individual to check most of all types of social customs and to change ideas by the commonly accepted standards and values of the community. Self- reliance, individualistic power, enthusiastic feelings about the fascination of power, superior human intelligence and the philosophy of action are visible in American writings during Renaissance period. All these elements have glorified the supreme state America. The emergence of imagination and romantic elements in American literature have occurred the writings of Walt Whitman, Natahliel Hawthrone and Herman Melville. Through the thrilling short stories Louisa May Alcott has also proved that they were the real representative of American Renaissance short stories and fictions. After Renaissance a kind of searching definite facts, specific matters, new knowledge based on new facts have appeared in arts, science and literature which announced an ‘American style’. Here one can see that the Americans have showed their willingness to receive anything from other nations but they have kept and sustained their native elements in a high position. Growing self confidence and the feeling of nationality that aggravated the figures of the American Renaissance and the motivation came from the civilizations of the past. Excessive use o f native dialects, historical themes have decorated the new writing style. Another important feature of American style is that most of the writers have discussed some common topics in their literary works such as abolition of slavery, sufferings of the middle class, the trials and tribulations o f the women folk, freedom of religion, and the improvement of education. Before Renaissance the American writers have struggled to find a genuine literary voice which celebrated the diversity of their people and a national identity. Here a group of writers in Chicago have emerged as the exhibiters of an innovative tradition and traditional language. Lisa Woolley, Assistant Professor of History and Education at the University of Missouri-St. Louis remarks: “The realism and naturalism of Chicago writers has most often been treated as urban and masculine, both in subject matter and use of language” (Woolley, 2000). Regardless of political sovereignty, Americans were devastatingly conscious that they hang about the cultural colony of Britain. Before Renaissance Americans read the essays of Richard Steal and Addison and they had the opportunity to enjoy the poems of Alexander Pope and Dryden. The Native American writers do not have the literary craftsmanship to break the coverings of English influence. Writers like Nathanial Hawthrone and Edgar Allan Poe have showed great literary craftsmanship through their works and they have broken the layer of English identity. In his book named ‘Jeffersons America, 1760-1815’, Norman K. Risiord comments that” The literary productions of the new nation were self-conscious (and usually second- rate) efforts at cultural independence” (Norman K. Risjord, 2002). Strong moral earnestness, the thought of desire to reform society and education and highbinders have revealed through the writings of many American literary figures during the time of Renaissance. The culture of seminal works was published in between 1850 and 1855. The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne, Mobi-Dick by Melville has revealed unique fear and adventure. The concept of American style has reflected the severe clash between South and North. Here one can finds the emergence of an innovative style which glorifies the social, cultural and political identity of the United States. Most of the earliest American literature was journals and pamphlets eulogizing the benefits of the colonies to the native audience as well as the Europeans. The emergence of humor in national literature is another major feature of American literature. Throughout the century popular expression and phrases were practiced as humorous devises in common lectures and news papers. Through these writings the humorists not only criticized the human follies but strongly influenced civic opinion and political or social events. After Renaissance language and literature in America have acquired a new status which is blended with the culture and history of the nation. Here one can see that politics and literature are the two sides of the same coin. Jay Grossman says; “It is one of the governing assumptions of Reconstituting American Renaissance that the distinction between the politics and the literature itself is profoundly complicated in an American context in which language making and nation-making are so profoundly inter-implicated” (Grossman, 2003). The touch of universal faith is another significant feature of American literature after the Renaissance. The works of Emerson, Margarate Fuller, and Theodore Parker have revealed the fact that all people in this world are united in their close association with the ultimate soul, a post religious correspondent of God. Whitman’s prose works during the period of Renaissance often discussed the philosophy and its greatness. Whitman has developed his own writing style with the help of his war field experience. Through her poems Emily Dickinson has expressed an unconventional and simple style of writings. Death and Inner le, and life after death were the major themes of Dickinson’s poetry. American novelists have developed a new style of writing which is mixing with allegory and excessive symbolism. All these writers have composed literary works based on some recurrent themes in American culture. Regionalism and excessive enlistment of American culture and nationality were visible in the writings of American literary figures during the time of Renaissance. Literary works in America after Renaissance represent the need for the individual to think and behave based on his/her standards. To conclude, one can infer that Renaissance has exerted a profound influence in American social as well as cultural life and it paved the way for an innovative style in American literature. The new ‘American style’ glorifies the social, cultural, philosophical and political supremacy of the United States. This is also evident that the Renaissance language and literature have resulted for some notable changes in American culture and history. Thus, one can wind up by stating that Renaissance was one among the notable movements of the past which imprinted its own features in American history, especially in literature. Works Cited: American Renaissance –Introduction (2009) Retrieved from Grossman, Jay (2003) Reconstituting the American Renaissance: Emerson, Whitman, and the politics of representation, Duke University Press, 2003, Pp.4 Norman K. Risjord (2002) Title Jeffersons America, 1760-1815, Rowman & Littlefield, Pp.301 Woolley, Lisa. (2000). American Voices of the Chicago Resnaissance, Northern Illinois University Press, 447-448 Retrieved from Read More