New England Renaissance 1840 1855 Review n America

New England Renaissance 1840 – 1855

Review n America is growing ¨ New states and population increase ¨ Transportation growth ¨ Literary growth n Romantic Period – 1800 -1840 ¨ Favor imagination over reason and intuition over facts ¨ Intense interest in nature

Introduction n Population ¨Democracy n Growth still growing successful of intellect in American literature in its prime

Hub of the Solar System Boston – New England’s center of culture and commerce n Factory system centered mostly in New England was growing n ¨ Lowell n girls America was still an agricultural nation ¨ Farms growing as well

The Way West n American population making its way west n Transportation ¨Railroads n Agricultural ¨Steel Advances plow and reaper n Communication ¨Telegraph, Morse Code

Clouds in the Summer Sky n America’s problems n Factories and mills ¨Poor working conditions – child labor, long hours, unsafe environment, etc.

Cont… n Women’s Rights were nonexistent ¨Her property was under husband’s control ¨Women’s Rights and Anti-slavery movements underway n Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, etc.

Utopias and Lyceums n Utopias – perfect communities ¨Movement n Brook for reform Farm, Amana colonies

Cont… n Education Reform ¨Nation agreed on free public education and higher education for a price ¨Adult education often provided through Lyceums – organizations that sponsor public programs or entertainment n Formed associations and a cultural framework

Literature in Full Flower n Sudden outburst of creativity in literature from 1840 -1855 n From around Boston, world-famous authors produced writings that would become staples of American literature

Goodbye, Courtly Muse n American writers experience “intellectual Declaration of Independence” ¨ Interpret culture in their own way ¨ Courtly Muse = European writers n Writers ¨ Emerson was Thoreau’s “mentor”, Hawthorne

Transcendentalism n Philosophical movement that merged philosophy, religion, and literature ¨Founded by Emerson ¨Idealism that had diverse and confusing set of beliefs n They were idealistic and optomistic – believed in man’s potential n Thought everything is connected

3 Main Transcendentalist Beliefs There is a direct connection between the universe and the individual soul – that connection is found in nature. n By contemplating nature, people can transcend the world (move beyond) and discover union with the “over-soul” that unites us all n Individual happiness depends upon selfrealization n ¨ Aristotle’s “Know thyself”

Nodding Fields and Walden Pond n Emerson’s essay, Nature is the first full-scale expression of American Transcendentalism n Thoreau’s work focuses on his views of individualism, simplicity, and passive resistance to injustice

The Possibility of Evil n The optimism of transcendentalists (Emerson & Thoreau) was viewed as unrealistic and naïve by some n Anti-transcendentalists = take a darker outlook on life. They took a pessimistic attitude that man had limited potential, nature was incomprehensible and that man must fight against evil

Transcendentalism vs. Anti-Transcendentalism n n n Optomistic We are all spiritually united in a universal soul All people are inherently good Faith in human potential Wrote mostly essays about beliefs n n Pessimistic Truths of existence are disturbing Man has limited potential and cannot understand nature Expressed beliefs through themes of novels and short stories using symbolism

Anti-Transcendentalist Authors Hawthorne was Melville’s mentor n The Scarlet Letter by Hawthorne is set in Puritan Boston and deals with concealed sin and guilt n Moby Dick by Melville reflects his bitterness against society n

When Poetry Was in Bloom n Poetry period very popular during this time poets formed the Fireside Poets group n Popular ¨Wrote on a level for all readers and established poetry’s popularity ¨Longfellow only American buried in Britain’s Westminster Abbey’s Poet’s Corner

At Home in Amherst n Emily Dickinson was a unique writer during this time n Raised in Amherst, Massachusetts ¨Her writings were not of any specific type and most were not published until after her death

Beyond the Flowering n Renaissance began to subside due to Civil War conflicts n Most writers (being from New England) supported the northern war effort