Module 4: American Romanticism I

In module four, you will encounter three of the heavyweights of nineteenth century American literature: Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Edgar Allen Poe. All were incredibly influential to later writers and artists, and you are no doubt familiar with contemporary references to their works, some more obvious than others. We are now entering the artistic period known as Romanticism, when American writers embraced imaginative literature, but also incorporated social commentary on issues facing the still-young nation