In the 19th century, multiple religious, philosophical, and artistic movements rose to prominence, especially within the literary world. These included the Romantic movement, a philosophical and artistic movement that largely explored humanity and its relationship with the divine and nature. Romanticism consisted of two sub-movements: Light Romanticism and Dark Romanticism.

Romanticism emerged as a response to Enlightenment, or the Age of Reason, an intellectual and philosophical movement that swept across Europe during the 17th and 18th centuries. The Enlightenment was characterized by a strong emphasis on reason, science, individualism, and secularism. By contrast, Romantic writers often critiqued the excesses of scientific rationalism and the unchecked pursuit of progress. For example, in Frankenstein (1818), the Dark Romantic writer Mary Shelley explored the ethical implications of scientific experimentation and the hubris of man's attempt to play God.

Transcendentalism is an example of a Light Romantic movement. Transcendentalism was a philosophical movement that valued intuition, individualism, and a deep, spiritual connection to nature. It was also a highly idealistic philosophy that stressed the goodness of man and nature. Transcendentalism dominated American literature in the 19th century, exemplified by writers such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Louisa May Alcott.