American Transcendentalism

1. By Jacqueline Koch ETE100-01 Feb. 15, 2010 An introduction to 19th century writers and thinkers in New England American Transcendentalism

2. What is transcendentalism? • “… that form philosophy which sinks God and Nature with man” (Emerson, 1845). • A form of philosophy that seeks to “transcend” space and time by using intuition when asking questions about life and society. – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American Whig Review

3. How did the movement begin? • First developed in Germany. • Meant “what goes beyond” (Wall, 1886). • Grew in New England; opposed strict Puritan standards; thought man possessed the divine within himself. • Emerson wrote “Nature” in 1836; asserts “the world is a divine dream from which we may presently awake to the glories and uncertainties of the day” (Wall, 1886).

4. Who were the major transcendentalists? • Ralph Waldo Emerson • Walt Whitman • Henry David Thoreau • Margaret Fuller • Amos Bronson Alcott

5. Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) • Formerly a Unitarian minister. • Belonged to the Transcendental Club (Emerson, 1844). • Initial writings characterized as “quaint” and “peculiar” (1844). • By 1855, was considered the most respected essayist, philosopher and lecturer of his generation (Birney, 1998).

6. Walt Whitman (1819-1892) • An unknown poet until Emerson praised his poetry in 1855 (Birney, 1998). • Best known for “O Captain! My Captain!” about the death of President Lincoln (Birney, 1998). • “Every word that falls from his mouth shows silent disdain and defiance of the old theories and forms” (Langley, 1855).

7. Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) • Best known for “Walden.” • Enjoyed solitude, thinking and “all manner of growing things” (Torrey, 1896). • “A prophet, a writer, a student of nature” (Torrey, 1896). • Interest in solitude not in going into the woods to be alone but to understand the world and learn his place in it (Torrey, 1896).

8. Walden • Click on the button below and listen to the lecturer describe Walden. Give your reactions to her thoughts.

9. Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) • Feminist and intellectual; published essays calling for women’s equality. • Literary editor of “New York Daily Tribune.” • Close friends with Emerson. • Byline was an asterisk (*). • Filled with unrest and disappointment (Margaret Fuller). • Participated in civil and domestic troubles.

10. Amos Bronson Alcott (1799-1888) • Enthusiastic about self-education and optimistic. • Introduced art, physical education and nature classes into curriculums (Brown, 1999). • Influenced Emerson’s “Nature.” • Founded the Concord (Mass.) School of Philosophy (Brown, 1999).

11. What were the major themes in transcendentalism? • Nature • Independence • Deficient society • Progress spurred by independence • Ignoring religious and social conventions • Meditation and thinking

12. What allowed the movement to flourish? • In colonial America, some people wanted to separate spirituality from traditional authority (Wall, 1886). • After shirking traditional conventions like authority and religion, thinkers of the day began to base philosophy on the human mind in connection with nature. • With an ocean to separate them from the Church of England, colonists began thinking for themselves and developed individualism and freedom of thought (Wall, 1886).

13. References • “Amos Bronson Alcott.” Online image. Concord Ma. Magazine. 6 Feb. 2010. <http://www. concordma.com/magazine/marapr01/amosbronsonalcott.jpeg>. • Alexander, J. “Walt Whitman.” Online Image. Library of Congress. 3 Feb. 2010. doi: det 4a28535. • Birney, A. (1998). Letter and corrected reprint of Walt Whitman's "O Captain, My Captain" with comments by author. Retrieved from <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/ mcchtml/corhome.html>. • Birney, A. (1998). Letter, Ralph Waldo Emerson to Walt Whitman extolling Whitman's poetry. Retrieved from <http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/mcchtml/corhome.html>. • Brown, A. (1999). Amos Bronson Alcott. Retrieved from <http://www.vcu.edu/engweb /transcendentalism/authors/alcott/>. • “Emerson.” Online image. 3 Jan. 2002. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 28 Jan. 2010. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/emerson/>. • Emerson, R. (1845). Essays: second series. American Whig Review, 1, 233-236. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from the Cornell University Library via the Library of Congress. • Langley, H. (Pub.) (1855). Walt Whitman and his poems. The United States Democratic Review, 36, 205-213.[Electronic version]. Retrieved from the Cornell University Library via the Library of Congress. • “Margaret Fuller.” Online image. Library of Congress.5 Feb. 2010. doi: cph3a47196.

14. References (cont.) • Margaret Fuller. (1855). Putnam’s Monthly, 6, 107-112. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from the Cornell University Library via the Library of Congress. • “Old Manse from the highway, Concord, Massachusetts.” Online image. 1901. Library of Congress. Detroit Publishing Company. 28 Jan. 2010. doi: det4a07458 • Parlow, G. “Henry David Thoreau, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing slightly right.” Online image. Library of Congress. 28 Jan. 2010. Doi: cph3a02153.com. • Ralph Waldo Emerson. (1844). The Living Age, 1, 41. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from the Cornell University Library via the Library of Congress. • “Thoreau's cove, Lake Walden, Concord, Mass.” Online image. Library of Congress. Detroit Publishing Company. 5 Feb. 2010. Doi: det4a18296. • Thoreau, H. (1845). Walden – an annotated edition. Retrieved from <http://thoreau. eserver.org/walden00.html>. • Topics of the times: Ralph Waldo Emerson. (1882). The Century, 24, 457-458. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from the Cornell University Library via the Library of Congress. • Torrey, B. (1896). Thoreau. The Atlantic Monthly, 78, 822-833. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from the Cornell University Library via the Library of Congress. • Wall, A. (1886). Early transcendentalism in New England. The New England Magazine, 5, 162-171. [Electronic version]. Retrieved from the Cornell University Library via the Library of Congress.