Dark romanticism

Dark romanticism, also referred to as anti-transcendentalism is a label applied to some gothic fiction. This was a reaction to both the industrial society and the transcendentalists. They focused on the darkness of the human soul and embraced the existence of sin and evil in society. Many thought that the transcendentalists were too optimistic and "man" was inherently selfish. They convey many of the strategies of the romantic authors in their writing style.