Engl 150B
American Literature of the Romantic Era
Course Description
The “wild delight” of Emerson’s transcendentalism, the
horror and
madness of Poe’s fiction, and the “Vesuvian” emotions of
the poetry of
Dickinson all share a Romantic fascination with the
extremes of the human
experience. In this class, we will explore works of mid
nineteenth-century
American literature that reflect upon the intensities and
mysteries of life
and that represent searching quests for knowledge of
Nature, God, and the
self. Our study will include poetry, fiction, short essays,
and visual arts, including landscape painting.