TRANSCENDENTALISM

We have listened too long to the courtly muses of Europe…. The mind of this country, taught to aim at low objects, eats upon itself….,We will walk on our own two feet; we will work with our own two hands; we will speak our own minds… A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men. --Ralph Waldo Emerson from “The American Scholar,” 1837

“Literature the Americans have none…In the four quarters of the globe, who reads an American book?” --Sydney Smith, English critic, 1818

This was a period when American culture and literature would establish its own identity rather than copy the English. Writers were aware of this “rebirth,” and so labeled the flowering of American literature as a “renaissance.” We will be great! I have an amazing whale tale! !

The renaissance of American literature took place in New England, which always had been identified as a place of where people were interested in self- improvement and intellectual pursuits. It was also the center of reform movements—public education, mental institutions, women’s rights, the abolition of slavery, etc.

New Englanders were also interested in creating models of a perfect society, which were called utopian projects. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s utopian club soon became known as “The Transcendentalist Club.” They would gather regularly in Emerson’s study to discuss these ideas and to publish their magazine, The Dial.

Transcendentalism was the philosophical and literary movement that originated in New England in 1836 and was quite popular until about 1860.

The term transcendental comes from the German philosopher Immanuel Kant. The word refers to the concept that one must transcend, or go beyond the physical world (our sensory experience) if one wants to have a better understanding of life.

Transcendentalism stemmed directly from the Romantic Movement and originally began as a reform movement of the Unitarian Church. Philosophy shared with Romanticism: -The goodness of people -The beauty of nature -The importance of being an individual

Transcendentalism went beyond Romanticism and promoted the following beliefs: A sense of reality is reached through intuition or instinct rather than through reasoning or logic Individuals should act according to their own personal beliefs rather than following the rules of society. Every person is naturally good, capable of making rational decisions, and worthy of the respect of every human being.

Ralph Waldo Emerson is considered the Father of Transcendentalism because he was the first to promote Transcendental ideas.

In his writing he focused on: The importance of the individual. The value of the human soul is greater than any material thing. Emerson wrote many essays, speeches, and even poems about these beliefs. Two of his most famous essays are Self-reliance and The American Scholar. He was criticized by some people because he didn’t practice what he preached. He wrote many epigrams -- short, cleverly (pithy) worded statements that contain some wisdom about life. Examples of EPIGRAMS by Emerson: “Trust thyself; every heart vibrates to that iron string.” “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” “Whoso would be a man must be a nonconformist.”

HENRY DAVID THOREAU (sounds like “thorough”) Unlike Emerson, Thoreau lived out his Transcendental beliefs. Some examples are: 1.He supported John Brown (an abolitionist). 2.He refused to pay a poll tax because it supported slavery; he was thrown in jail as a result. 3.He lived at Walden Pond. He wrote the essay Civil Disobedience which is about an individual’s right to protest. He is most famous for Walden a book about his 26 months living alone at Walden Pond.

TERMS TO KNOW: style -- how the author uses words, phrases, and sentences to form his or her ideas. The qualities and characteristics that distinguish one writer’s work from the work of others. diction -- word choice syntax -- sentence structure