Transcending Romanticism The Transcendentalist

Movement

American Literature

If everybody is thinking alike, then somebody isn’t thinking.

- George S. Patton

What is the meaning of transcend? To rise above or go beyond

Overpass

Exceed

Fundamentals

Transcendental refers to the idea that in determining the ultimate reality of God, the universe, the self, and other important matters, one must transcend, or go beyond, everyday human experience in the physical world.

The vehicle to help a person transcend is NATURE!!!

Fundamentals A group of new ideas in literature,

religion, culture, and philosophy that emerged in New England in the early-to mid-19th century (1830s and 1840s)

A philosophical idea, not a religious one Roots in Puritan ideas Leader – Ralph Waldo Emerson (idea man

– father of Transcendentalism) Henry David Thoreau (action man) – Emerson’s

protégée

Elements of Transcendentalism1. Strong emphasis on

individualism2. Believed

democratically—every man and woman could rise above (transcend) the material world

3. Knowledge came through free intuition rather than logic

4. Nature—important role—was alive with spirit; the human mind could read nature and find truths in it

5. Material success was a source of corruption

6. Transcendentalists wanted to reform society and create a utopia

7. Believed in an “Oversoul” which viewed God, man, and nature as sharers in a universal soul - even the smallest element of nature was a microcosm of the universe containing all its laws and meaning

8. Tone—optimistic

Ralph Waldo Emerson Minister, lecturer,

essayist, poet Felt that the

human mind was the most important force in the universe

Said that every being was a part of the mind of God

The Over-Soul Emerson’s concept God, man, and

nature are united in a shared soul—the Over-soul.

All beings are united in a universal spirit after death.

Every being is part of the mind of God.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Ideas considered blasphemous, called a heretic

Very optimistic Created Brook

Farm – a utopia

Works of Emerson Nature

95-page book Expresses his belief that the meaning of

existence can be found by exploring the natural world.

“Self-Reliance” Essay Urges people to think and act independently

and not to conform to ideas and behaviors dictated by society.

Henry David Thoreau Writer, Naturalist,

Teacher, Lecturer, Surveyor

Actively puts into practice the tenets of Transcendentalism

Path to a better humanity through the soul of the individual

All humans have potential to be truth seekers

Can effect social change Died at 44 of TB

Henry David Thoreau Promoted non-violent civil

disobedience Inspired MLK and Gandhi Spent 1 night in jail to

protest poll tax in protest of slavery

Against the Mexican War Urged people to resist

government policies with which they disagree

Works of Thoreau Walden

records his experiences living alone at Walden Pond A blend of natural observation, social criticism, and

philosophical insight Regarded as supreme work of Transcendentalist

literature “Civil Disobedience”

Defined as the deliberate and public refusal to obey laws that violate one’s personal principles

Questions the government’s right to tell him what to do

“I went to live in the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.”

- Henry David Thoreau

Walt Whitman

His most transcendental poems are probably found in "Song of Myself" because of its vision of the self and its relationship to the universe.

Whitman even sent a copy of his collection, “Leaves of Grass” to Emerson and had known personal contact with Thoreau as well.

Writers inspired by Transcendentalism

Emily Dickinson Is one of the most widely-read and well-known

American poets. In 1850 her friend Benjamin Newton gave her

Emerson's first collection of poems. Lived much of her life as a recluse which had a

great effect on her ability to keep her style unique and nonconformist.

Though she was not a self-prescribed transcendentalist, much of her work reflects their core beliefs.

Writers inspired by Transcendentalism