New England Renaissance 1840 – 1855

Review America is growing Romantic Period – 1800-1840 New states and population increase Transportation growth Literary growth Romantic Period – 1800-1840 Favor imagination over reason and intuition over facts Intense interest in nature

Introduction Population still growing Growth of intellect in America Democracy successful Growth of intellect in America American literature in its prime

Hub of the Solar System Boston – New England’s center of culture and commerce Factory system centered mostly in New England was growing Lowell girls America was still an agricultural nation Farms growing as well

The Way West American population making its way west Transportation Railroads Agricultural Advances Steel plow and reaper Communication Telegraph, Morse Code

Clouds in the Summer Sky America’s problems Factories and mills Poor working conditions – child labor, long hours, unsafe environment, etc.

Cont… Women’s Rights were nonexistent Her property was under husband’s control Women’s Rights and Anti-slavery movements underway Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, etc.

Utopias and Lyceums Utopias – perfect communities Movement for reform Brook Farm, Amana colonies

Cont… Education Reform Nation agreed on free public education and higher education for a price Adult education often provided through Lyceums – organizations that sponsor public programs or entertainment Formed associations and a cultural framework

Literature in Full Flower Sudden outburst of creativity in literature from 1840-1855 From around Boston, world-famous authors produced writings that would become staples of American literature

Goodbye, Courtly Muse American writers experience “intellectual Declaration of Independence” Interpret culture in their own way Courtly Muse = European writers Writers Emerson was Thoreau’s “mentor”, Hawthorne

Transcendentalism Philosophical movement that merged philosophy, religion, and literature Founded by Emerson Idealism that had diverse and confusing set of beliefs They were idealistic and optomistic – believed in man’s potential Thought everything is connected

3 Main Transcendentalist Beliefs There is a direct connection between the universe and the individual soul – that connection is found in nature. By contemplating nature, people can transcend the world (move beyond) and discover union with the “over-soul” that unites us all Individual happiness depends upon self-realization Aristotle’s “Know thyself”

Nodding Fields and Walden Pond Emerson’s essay, Nature is the first full-scale expression of American Transcendentalism Thoreau’s work focuses on his views of individualism, simplicity, and passive resistance to injustice

The Possibility of Evil The optimism of transcendentalists (Emerson & Thoreau) was viewed as unrealistic and naïve by some Anti-transcendentalists = take a darker outlook on life. They took a pessimistic attitude that man had limited potential, nature was incomprehensible and that man must fight against evil

Transcendentalism vs. Anti-Transcendentalism Optomistic We are all spiritually united in a universal soul All people are inherently good Faith in human potential Wrote mostly essays about beliefs Pessimistic Truths of existence are disturbing Man has limited potential and cannot understand nature Expressed beliefs through themes of novels and short stories using symbolism

Anti-Transcendentalist Authors Hawthorne was Melville’s mentor The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne is set in Puritan Boston and deals with concealed sin and guilt Moby Dick by Melville reflects his bitterness against society

When Poetry Was in Bloom Poetry very popular during this time period Popular poets formed the Fireside Poets group Wrote on a level for all readers and established poetry’s popularity Longfellow only American buried in Britain’s Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner

At Home in Amherst Emily Dickinson was a unique writer during this time Raised in Amherst, Massachusetts Her writings were not of any specific type and most were not published until after her death

Beyond the Flowering Renaissance began to subside due to Civil War conflicts Most writers (being from New England) supported the northern war effort