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The 19th century have been dominated by a movement known as Romanticism. This movement is defined as a strong belief that imagination and emotion are stronger than reason. "A conviction that poetry is superior to science.....belief that contemplation of the natural world is a means of discovering a truth that lies behind reality." (Holt, Elements of Literature, 1183) Authors, such as Emerson with his work of "Self Reliance", and Thoreau's work of "Where I Lived …

…amp;gt;The works of Emerson and Thoreau are obvious influence to Chopin's The Awakening, especially her protagonist Edna. Much of her characterization and her actions in the novel are related to the descriptions and beliefs of Emerson and Thoreau. It is not coincidental that the concept of the four works are similar, because the idea of romanticism are all incorporated into all four works, thus, served as the foundation for each work of literature.