1. Henry David Thoreau “Government is best which governs least.”

2. Important facts to remember about Thoreau:
Thoreau moved into Emerson’s house in 1842 and became his close friend and disciple.
He dedicated himself to testing the Transcendental philosophy through experience.
By simplifying his needs, he devoted the rest of his life to exploring and writing about the spiritual relationship between humanity and nature.
He lived alone in a cabin on Walden Pond for two years and condensed his experience into one year using the four season as a structural framework for his book Walden in 1854.

3. Why is Thoreau’s book Walden so important to American Literature?

4. Walden is regarded as the supreme work of Transcendentalist Literature

5. Literary term to focus on for Walden:
Style: refers to the manner in which a writer puts his or her thoughts into words. In Walden, Thoreau constructs paragraphs so that his sentences build to a climax (of understanding and realization)

6. The Four Main Principles of Transcendentalism

7. Principle #1 The individual is the spiritual center of the universe.
This means: You can find clues to nature and the universe itself by looking within yourself.

8. Principle #2
The structure of the universe duplicates the structure of the self.
This means: To better understand yourself, you can find clues by looking at the universe/nature and the world around you.

9. Principle #3 Life is a living mystery and nature is symbolic.
This means: Life is difficult to understand, but you can use the symbols found in nature to help you understand it.

10. Principle #4
Virtue and happiness rely on self-realization. This can be achieved through two contradictory applications:
a. self-transcending tendencies: an individual embraces the world and becomes one with it.
b. self-asserting tendencies: an individual breaks free and is unique in the world.

11. Are you confused? That’s OK!!!
Even the Transcendentalists found it hard to pinpoint their beliefs exactly.
Even with the contradictions and misunderstandings in their philosophies, the Transcendentalists believed that as long as people were thinking, discussing, and adjusting their ideas; they were getting closer to the “truth” and encompassing transcendental ideas.