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The Age of Transcendentalism

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1 The Age of Transcendentalism
The origins of American Cool

2 BY 1820s a distinctly American Culture emerges
What makes it American? It’s a product of the American experience Couldn’t exist in Europe—deals with different themes, ideas. Still influential today.

3 First Big Movement in AMERICAN Lit: ROMANTICISM
Remember ROMANTIC in this sense, doesn’t mean “kissy-kissy.” Known for focus on: Nature/wilderness The Supernatural Heroes and Heroic deeds

4 WASHINGTON IRVING From Upstate NY Key Works
“The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” (Schoolteacher confronts headless horseman) “Rip Van Winkle” (Man heads into mountains, has adventure, takes 20 year nap) Both collected in The Sketch Book

5 James Fenimore Cooper Famous for “Leatherstocking Tales” (Series of books in which Natty Bumpo (aka “The Deerslayer/Hawkeye/The Long Carbine) has frontier adventures in pre-revolutionary America. The Last of the Mohicans is the most famous (The Deerslayer is up there too Some critics can’t get past the fact they’re poorly written, but they’ve long been a favorite of young boys and make for pretty good movies.

6 Edgar Allen Poe Writer of Tales of Mystery and Imagination (“The Raven” “The Tell-tale Heart” “The Cask of Amantillado” “The Fall of the House of Usher” Little known fact—there’s a direct link from Poe to CSI

7 TRANSCENDENTALISM Spiritual/Philosophical Movement in literature and the arts Believed that what is true transcends (goes beyond) that which can be experienced by the senses Promoted individualism, nonconformity As Emerson said. . . So shall we come to look at the world with new eyes. It shall answer the endless inquiry of the intellect, — What is truth? and of the affections, — What is good? by yielding itself passive to the educated Will. ... Build, therefore, your own world. As fast as you conform your life to the pure idea in your mind, that will unfold its great proportions. A correspondent revolution in things will attend the influx of the spirit. First Hippies????

8 Ralph Waldo Emerson Scholar and essayist Best known for
NATURE—1st Published work—basically kick starts Transcendtalism SELF-RELIANCE (in which he tells us to trust ourselves and urges a healthy dose of non-conformity) Concept of the “oversoul

9 Henry David Thoreau Friend, student, sometimes rival of Emerson
Best known works WALDEN (In which he went into the woods to live deliberately CIVIL DISOBEDIENCE Influence on Martin Luther King, Ghandi, Leo Tolstoy, The American Anarchist movement, The Beats of the 1950’s and 60 and just about everybody else.

10 The Kinda-sorta Transcendentalists
Just so we’re clear—that’s my term. You won’t find it in the books . . .

11 Nathaniel Hawthorne Good Friend of Emerson—spent time w/ him at Brook Farm Later satirized Transcendentalists Most famous book The Scarlett Letter which looks into the heart of Puritan America. It remains one of the best explorations of morality in all of literature.

12 Herman Melville Most Famous for Moby Dick—a perennial contender for title of “Greatest American Novel” Its part adventure story (based loosely on the true story of the whale ship Essex) part description of whaling and part meditation on the really big philosophical questions (meaning, salvation, happiness, truth The nature of Evil—stuff like that Pretty much forgotten in his time; Now seen as one of the giants

13 Walt Whitman Poet, journalist, essayist, semi-hippie
Much of his work considered obscene/too sexual when published. Another non-conformist.

14 THE VISUAL ARTS HUDSON RIVER SCHOOL
Movement of landscape painters focusing on New York (Hudson River Valley; Catskill Mountains; Adirondacks,

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