“Young Goodman Brown” is often cited as an example of Dark Romanticism, a subgenre of Romanticism. In 1835, when “Young Goodman Brown” was written, the Romantic movement was in full swing, characterized by an emphasis on emotions over logic and a celebration of the sublime beauty of nature.
Dark Romanticism, a strain of Romanticism, found traditional Romanticism a bit too idealistic—the Dark Romantics, including Hawthorne, maintained Romanticism’s focus on emotion and irrationality, but they fixated on the imperfectability of humankind, depicting evil lurking at the heart of individuals and society. With its literal depictions of devils and demons luring whole societies of good Puritans into sin, and its depictions of nature and wilderness as evil, “Young Goodman Brown” is a classic example of the Dark Romantic genre.
