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The New England Renaissance and its Impact on Literature

 

This new belief influenced literature in New England. "Romanticism assumed a predominantly moral and philosophical tone, the former having its foundations in the persistence of Puritan idealism."" (Swisher 93). Romanticism was awakened but it took up a different point of view during the New England Renaissance. The time period produced a new type of romanticism. It was romantic, intuitive, and mystical.
             Hawthorne saw the New England Renaissance as a time in which people experienced intense individualism and self-reliance. He saw it as the dying of Puritanism (Swisher 58). "Hawthorne, the skeptic with a moral obsession, raised New England Puritanism "not the theory, but the practice and still more the results in mind and spirit "into art. This lies behind his style."" (Swisher 63). Hawthorne's manner in writing expresses his feelings on Puritanism and The New England Renaissance. His works convey his transcendentalist notion. His stories included evil characteristics and moral responsibility and its connection to man's destiny in nature and in eternity. Unlike other transcendentalists, he had a darker vision of the world and did not possess a deep faith in human potential. His writings exposed both the beautiful and terrible world humans have created.(Bloom 11). One specific example that reflected Hawthorne's view on the New England Renaissance is the character Mr. Medbourne in the short story "Dr. Heidegger's Experiment- from the book Twice Told .
             Tales , which was published in 1837.This story takes place on a summer afternoon. Dr. Heidegger invites four of his friends over to experiment with a sample from the Fountain of Youth. Mr. Medbourne is one of his friends. He was once a prosperous merchant but presently he lives very poorly. The four friends drink the sample and they are almost instantly rejuvenated. Mr. Medbourne has not learned from his youthful experiences and as a result makes the same mistake and becomes old again.


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