Humanities of the Modern World: The Romantic Hero Chapter 28. Among 19th-century romantics, the hero was an expression of expansive subjectivity, national sentiment, and the creative imagination. Characterized by superhuman ambition and talent, the romantic hero, whether a historical figure or a fictional personality, experienced life with passionate intensity. Romantic writers — Byron in England, Pushkin in Russia, and Goethe in Germany — portrayed real-life figures (Napoleon Bonaparte) and literary heroes (Prometheus and Faust) as figures who symbolized the quest for knowledge and power.
Human liberty, a concept central to the heroic spirit, dominated abolitionist literature in America. The romantic heroine and romantic love and longing assumed a special importance in the arts of the nineteenth century. While many artists tended to stereotype the female as either angelic or demonic, female writers, such as George Sand, created heroines who enjoyed self-direction and sexual freedom.
After reading Chapter 28 thoroughly, I would like you to write a short preparatory essay (2-3 pages, double-spaced) on YOUR choice of heroic personages from the Chapter 28. You may choose from among Napoleon (painted above center), Frankenstein (depicted above right), Faust, Prometheus, Frederick Douglass, and Sojourner Truth (depicted above left). In this short essay, I want you to focus on the following. Do not number these; just write an essay about your Romantic Hero, thinking about the following and what you’ve read and learned:
1. tell me what kind of romantic hero your personage was and why s/he was considered to be one; what characteristics defined him/her as such
2. research this romantic figure beyond what you’ve read in your book; flesh out the character/person
3. tell me if this personage would be considered a romantic hero today, why or why not, and who today would be considered a romantic hero, and why, what characteristics does this person today have that might be similar to the one you researched and wrote about.
SUBMISSION GUIDELINES
1. You should either write your essay in the assignment dropbox or attach as a Word (.doc or .docx) or a PDF document to the assignment’s dropbox.
2. Your name, the date, and the assignment title MUST appear in the upper left-hand corner.
3. I cannot open or read a few word processing programs, and so, I will send it back to you to re-save and resubmit if I receive it in any other format than if I can’t read it so save it correctly, please. No MAC files, please!
GRADING
1. Be sure to submit your paper to the submission box, please.
2. If you do not answer the required number of questions in your essay, you will NOT be able to receive an A.
3. If you do not do ALL of the above in the submission guidelines, as instructed, you will not receive an A.