Romanticism of William Cullen Bryant

During the time period of 1709 through l837, the United States experienced the Industrial

Revolution, territorial expansion, and a development of a national literary culture. William

Cullen Bryant, at the age of sixteen, soon took an interest in developing a national literature. In

the poem “Thanatopsis” by William Cullen Bryant, he expresses his history background,

Romanticism, and how romantic elements is portrayed through his poem.

William Cullen Bryant’s life was filled with hope and adventure since the day he was

born in Cummington, Massachusetts. Therefore, his writing was immaculate because he already

“composed the first version of this poem when he was only sixteen” (Sime 170). People would

be willing to travel miles and miles just to see a Museum of Bryant today. However, Bryant not

only “was a very famous literary figure, but as well as an influential voice in religion and

politics” (Sime 169). His ability to wr...