Rom-Literature+Outside+of+Great+Britain+(if+5+members)

(1805-1875) Hans Christian Andersen is a famous Dutch writer of the Romantic Period. He is most known for his short stories such as ‘The Little Mermaid’, ‘The Ugly Duckling’, and ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’. He was born poor and was exposed mostly to folklore and superstitions that the lower class had at the time, and this influenced the timeless appeal of his stories, ones that still carry a message today. As a child he was diagnosed with epilepsy and was entertained with stories and puppets by this father, again fuelling Andersen’s love of fair tales. His stories often relate to the misfits of society, a mermaid who loves a man, a swan in the company of ducks, a young Russian orphan dying in an alleyway.
 * __ Hans Christian Andersen __** [[image:Constantin_Hansen_1836_-_HC_Andersen.jpg width="233" height="320" align="left"]]

His fairy tale works are what make him an Romantic poet, an interest in legends and folklore are common traits in Romantic literature, and his focus on the outcasts of society are also often found in the time period’s literature. Andersen’s work went on to influence Charles Dickens, C.S. Lewis, and Oscar Wilde.

(1809-1849) The American poet famous for his haunting short stories and tragic history, Poe was born to two actors in the town of Boston. He was orphaned at a young age, his mother dying of tuberculosis and his father abandoning the family, and was adopted by John Allan. Poe became a writer after serving in the army and being expelled from several universities. He also wed his young cousin, Virginia, who was always an inspiration for his poems. Edgar Allan Poe’s most successful poem was ‘The Raven’ a poem about a man haunted by a great Raven who could only say //“nevermore.”// Most of Poe’s poems revolve around insanity, loneliness, and death, seeing as his life was surrounded by it. Virgini a was the inspiration for the poem ‘Lenore’ and played a role in ‘The Raven’, the short story ‘Masque of Red Death’ may also have been influenced by the death of his mother and Virginia to tuberculosis.
 * __ Edgar Alla __****__ n Poe __ **

Poe’s focus on lonely individuals is what marks him as a Romantic poet, as is his focus on the thoughts of his characters, however mad they are. Edgar Allan Poe also wrote several poems based around legends, such as ‘Helen’. Poe’s legacy was in the gothic horrors of his writings that inspired other horror writers like H.P. Lovecraft, and he is considered by many as one of the forerunners of the sci-fi genre.

**__Victor Hugo__** (1802-1885)

Victor Hugo is renowned as one of the greatest writers in French literature, and certainly the most famous of the Romantic Era. He created novels, poems, and dramas, but his best known works are //Hunchback of Notre Dame// and //Les Miserables.// Hugo was born in Besancon in France, his father was a soldier under Napoleon, the famous French Emperor who rose after the French Revolution. He was writing in a France divided in politics and literature, and while he avoided confronting the corrupt bourgeoisie, he was staunchly in favour of the rising French Romanticism against classical French literature. One of Hugo’s novels, //Notre Dame de Paris//, or //Hunchback of Notre Dame,// won the hearts of the French people immediately. It revolved around the Cathedral of Notre Dame, and while it’s plot revolved around the hideous hunch-back Quasimodo, Hugo always thought that it was the cathedral itself as the main character. Notre Dame’s focus point in the novel brought to light the terrible state of the cathedral, marred by years of vandalism. His novel brought about a renewal in ancient French monuments that had been lost during the French Revolution.

Hugo was influenced by the past in a time when France was changing quickly. Like Poe and Andersen, Hugo also focused on the outcasts of society. Quasimodo the hunch-back was well-meaning but hideous, and his tortured Claude Frollo was generally good character undone by his lust.

 The common elements of Romantic Literature outside of Britain were a love of nature, a general concern for mankind and his thoughts, a rebellion against tyrants, a renewed interest in folklore and the supernatural, and the focus on lonely and lost individuals. This reflected the changing times of the era. The Industrial Revolution was in full swing, and many writers felt lost in the flow, and wished for a call-back to when times were simpler and when nature was not destroyed by modern technology.The renewed interest in legends and folklore can also be linked to the rapidly changing times of the Industrial Revolution, as people wanted to look back to the old ways.  Revolutions of a different nature were also common in this period, as people were fed up with the old ways and made new ones, often through violence. A rebellion against tyrants in literature is reflected in the French and American revolutions, and even after with the rise of Napoleon.
 * __Common Elements __**