American Romanticism was an artistic movement that took place during the eighteenth
century. Romantic writers had a very different style than the other writers of the time. They
stressed the examination of inner feelings, emotions, and the use of imagination. They also wrote with
a focus on the mysterious, strange, and fantastic aspects of the human experience. The last
element of Romanticism is an intense reverence for nature and concern with the experience of the
individual over the universal. These are some of the elements of Romanticism.
Unlike the Romantic writers, Realistic writers were interested in reaction, logic, and
scientific observation. They tried to render reality closely and in comprehensive detail. One
aspect of Realism that completely differs from Romanticism is that in Realism there are no
characters that overcome insurmountable to be heroes and save the day. Instead there are
characters that better represent the way real people act and how they live their lives dealing with
what life gives them. A realist understands that there are forces in the world that will simply not
bend to the will of men. This idea is an extension of Realism called Naturalism.
An example of a Romantic writer is James Fenimore Cooper. He was the first person to
make a living as a writer. Also known as "The American Scott", Cooper was very much into
British Romanticism. Cooper's writings were distinctly American because the reader had to step
out of the European influence to learn the lesson. One character of Cooper's works is Natty
Bumppo. Natty is a perfect example of a romantic hero. Natty loves nature and understands that
it is not to be destroyed but respected. When Natty goes hunting he only kills as much as he needs
to. For this reason Natty disagrees with the way the townspeople hunt because they consider it a
game. They would use cannons and sho...