Transcendentalism

Transcendentalism What is in a name? Who are the key players? Why is it important to American Literature? http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/635081

Our Enduring Questions: How does this philosophy compare/contrast with the ideals/beliefs of the Puritans and their society? How does this philosophy linger in contemporary society? What about this philosophy appeals to the American psyche and why might it continually find resurgence in American culture? How did each of the three major writers we will study (Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman) contribute something new to the philosophy? http://www.morguefile.com/archive/display/629627

Transcendentalism What is in a name? Webster’s dictionary defines this movement as: “a philosophy that asserts the primacy of the spiritual and transcendental over the material and empirical.” So what does this mean? To “transcend” means to go beyond the physical and into the spiritual and beyond; to see people for what they are capable of intuitively and spiritually, not subjects of fate, but rather, creators of their own future.

~ Born in 1803, Emerson entered Harvard at 14, and was highly respected as one of the founders of this movement. ~ Was a teacher for some time, and then, following in the footsteps of family he became a minister. ~He became critical of what he was doing, and what he emphasized we should stand for; he wanted to focus on the individual. Who are the key players? Ralph Waldo Emerson http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/ralphwaldoemerson.html

~He then became a lecturer; one who travels and speaks to masses of people, professing innovative ideas . ~ He settles in Concord, Mass. for the rest of his life. He marries and has 4 children, one of whom dies at 5 years old. ~Emerson’s life was met with tragedy, as his first wife dies, and he eventually remarries. He sustains a life of speech and travels to spread his ideas and philosophies. ~ He publishes his first piece Nature in 1836. His popularity gains, and through the years he continues to write moving and controversial speeches and articles. ~ The successful speaker focuses on the “soul” as divine, and how we are all capable of change, enlightenment, and spiritual growth. Movements: He promoted women’s rights, and the emancipation of all slaves during the Civil War. He was a man of cause whose work still inspires readers today. Emerson continued. . . Ralph Waldo Emerson http://www25.uua.org/uuhs/duub/articles/ralphwaldoemerson.html

~Born in Concord, Massachusetts in 1817 he was a author, philosopher, and naturalist. He came from humble roots, as his family made pencils. • “Society ‘was the frame within which the self portrait of a person’s life had to be drawn’ • and that ‘within the framework of society people needed to search themselves to discover the life paths that were right for them and then to assert themselves once that discovery was made.’” Henry David Thoreau Thoreau http://www.walden.org/Education/

~Most famous for his second book Walden. ~ Was a contemporary of Emerson and, many other intellectuals of the time. ~ He incorporated the ideals of transcendentalism in his daily life, unlike Emerson who professed and adjusted his views. • ~ Emerson was his neighbor, friend, and mentor; Thoreau was invited to work for him in his home when Thoreau could no longer manage the school he had established with his brother, John. • ~Walden was Thoreau’s accounts of his two years spent at Walden Pond, a part of Emerson’s property. Thoreau spent to years living a life of solicitude; he sustained off of the land, and this display of self-reliance has inspired many to adventure into the wilderness to take a chance at finding the beauty of nature, and in doing so, discovering it within. Henry David Thoreau continued Thoreau http://www. thoreausociety.org

Why is it important to American Literature?The transcendentalists changed the way Americans were to see the world with concepts such as: The “Over-Soul”: “The Over-Soul is Emerson's celebration of the mystery of the human soul in matter and its mysterious existence as "part and particle" with the eternal One. The image of the "One" or the essential unity of the universe; he describes this One as infusing all of the life and forming the nature of human nature. It is God emanating through-out the universe and concentrating his nature in human consciousness.” and “Self-Reliance”: Emerson’s essay reflects the need for people to rely on the self for guidance in the word. One may attain this attribute through hard work (mental or physical). http://www.hi-des-website.com/oversoul/oversoulI.htm

More key players: Louisa May Alcott – Little Women Margaret Fuller – “Woman in the 19th Century” Theodore Parker –major abolitionist and speaker Major Influences: Walt Whitman Frederick Douglass Emily Dickinson

Transcendentalism