Transcendentalism American Literary and Philosophical Movement of the

Transcendentalism American Literary and Philosophical Movement of the 19 th century

Overview: • Started in 1830 s and 1840 s (19 th century) • Is a protest against the current state of culture, society, and the intellectualism associated with Harvard • Roots in Unitarian Church • Core belief: the spiritual state "transcends" the physical and practical and is realized only through the individual's intuition, rather than through the principles of established religions

Transcendentalists Believed: (1) Divine presence in the natural world (2) Intuitive perception Intuition gives people the capacity to become spiritually enlightened. If we depend on our senses, we will be doomed to religious skepticism. (Meaning, we will doubt God’s existence if we rely on our senses because knowledge and enlightenment come through intuition. ) We must depend on our super-sensory abilities.

They also believed: (3) Rejection of external authority Truth is not to be found in tradition or creeds, but in the witness of one's own soul. Therefore, Transcendentalists refused to bow to any external authority, be it church, book or person.

And. . . (4) A radical social ethic Transcendentalists had a high opinion of humanity's moral estate: all humans have great potential. Every human has within him/her Divine reason. Thus, every person must be free to realize his/her fullest potential. If people could reach their fullest potential, then it would be possible to realize Heaven on Earth. Therefore, the Transcendentalists were reformers: they adamantly opposed and fought war, capitalism, greed/hedonism, slavery, etc.

Henry David Thoreau Questioned authority – wore green at Harvard although the university’s code called for students to wear black Was a disciple of a leading Transcendentalist, Ralph Waldo Emerson Believed people needed to simplify their lives and reconnect with nature

Walden Published in 1854 Published 7 years after Thoreau lived on Walden Pond for 2 years is a celebration of life and nature presents Thoreau’s views on society and his philosophy of life

Walden continued Expresses the belief that society has become too complicated and fast-paced and that people should do everything possible to simplify their lives Stresses the need to resist conformity and to follow our own inner voices Suggests that, by doing so, people can experience a spiritual awakening

Thoreau’s Style Constructs paragraphs that build to a climax. The sentences create an effect that can be compared to a hammer driving a nail into wood. Examine last paragraph (379): The sentences build up to a final striking image of the sun as “but a morning star. ”

How Transcendentalism differs from Romanticism Transcendentalism and Romanticism were two literary movements that occurred in America during roughly the same time period (1840— 1860). Although the two had surface similarities, such as their reverence for Nature, their founding beliefs were different:

How Transcendentalism differs from Romanticism Similarity: reverence for nature Difference: Transcendentalists believed God was an internal force that gave all living things an “inner-light. ” All living creatures were connected by this “over-soul, ” which is seen as a part of God. Hence, all humans are capable of miraculous things PROVIDED they devote themselves to self-exploration. That was the main goal: to devote oneself to exploring his/her “innerlight. ” Where do you think one should do selfexplore? God is a compilation of the “over-soul. ”

How Transcendentalism differs from Romanticism had less to do with God. To Romantics, God is an external force. Romantics also believed in the inherent darkness of human nature as well as an inherent inner light. They also concerned themselves with the grotesque (bizarre/fantastic) and the sublime (awe-inspiring/transcendent). Needless to say, Romantics weren’t as optimistic as they Transcendental contemporaries.