Anti-Transcendentalism 19th century (approx. 1840-1860) literary movement that focused on the dark side of humanity and the evilness and guilt of sin

Reasons / Causes Opposed the optimism and naïve idealism of the transcendentalists Dwelt on guilt and remorse over past sins Discontented with current circumstances in America (poverty/unjust and cruel treatment of factory workers, poor educational system, lack of women’s rights, slavery…) so they focused on moral dilemmas and society’s ills

Prose (short stories and novels) Literary Works Prose (short stories and novels) allegory

Allegory Parable A story with both a literal and symbolic meaning Simple, usually short, story that teaches a moral lesson Fable = animals Parable = human beings

Key ideas / Philosophies Belief in the potential destructiveness of the human spirit Belief in individual truths and the truths of existence are deceitful and disturbing Human nature is inherently sinful (original sin) and evil is an active force in the universe Focus on the man’s uncertainty and limitations in the universe

View of Nature Nature is vast and incomprehensible, a reflection of the struggle between good and evil Nature is the creation and possession of God and it cannot be understood by human beings

Major differences between the Transcendentalists and Anti-Transcendentalists Saw divine goodness and beauty beneath everyday reality Embraced the mystical and idealistic elements of Puritan thought Anti-Transcendentalists: Believed spiritual truths may be ugly or frightening Reintroduced the dark side of Puritan beliefs: the idea of Original Sin and the human potential for evil

Major Similarities between Transcendentalists and Anti- Transcendentalists Both believed that… True reality is spiritual. Intuition is superior to logic or reason. Human events contain signs and symbols of spiritual truths.

Writing Style Man vs. Nature conflicts bring out the evil in humanity Raw and morbid diction Focus on the protagonist’s inner struggles Typical protagonists are haunted outsiders who are alienated from society Prevalent use of symbolism

Herman Melville “All men live enveloped in whale-lines. All are born with halters round their necks; but it is only when caught in the swift, sudden turn of death, that mortals realize the silent, subtle, ever-present perils of life.” --Moby Dick

Herman Melville 1819-1891 Born in New York to bankrupt family which fell apart and so he dropped out of school Began various voyages at sea Became friends with Nathaniel Hawthorne Wrote several different novels about experiences on the open ocean Eventually “sold out” to write popular fiction, even though he hated it, in order to make enough money to live on Moby Dick and other novels not successful at time of publishing, but became widely acclaimed after his death

Herman Melville, c. 1870

Melville harshly criticizes capitalism, slavery, war and imperialism, but he shows passionate empathy for “classes of men who bear the same relation to society at large that the wheels do to a coach.”

A final quote from Melville “If, at my death, my executors, or more properly my creditors, find any precious manuscripts in my desk, then here I prospectively ascribe all the honor and glory to whaling; for the whale ship was my Yale College and my Harvard.”