1. Anti-Transcendentalism
Herman Melville
Nathaniel Hawthorne

2. Reasons / Causes
Opposed the optimism and naïve idealism of the transcendentalists
Dwelt on guilt and remorse over past sins
Discontented with current circumstances in America

3. Key ideas / Philosophies
Belief in the potential destructiveness of the human spirit
Belief in individual truths, but no universal truths, and the truths of existence are deceitful and disturbing
Human nature is inherently sinful (original sin) and evil is an active force in the universe
Focus on the man’s uncertainty and limitations in the universe

4. View of Nature
Nature is vast and incomprehensible, a reflection of the struggle between good and evil
Nature is the creation and possession of God and it cannot be understood by human beings

5. Writing Style Man vs. Nature conflicts bring out the evil in humanity
Raw and morbid diction
Focus on the protagonist’s inner struggles
Typical protagonists are haunted outsiders who are alienated from society
Prevalent use of symbolism

6. Shiloh: a Requiem Herman Melville
Title Connotation/Denotation
Initial Response
Vocabulary
Paraphrase
Speaker
Tone
Techniques (3)/Meaning/Significance
Theme/Thesis Sentence
How does Melville’s poem reflect anti-transcendental ideas?

7. Melville, cont.
Using profits from first three novels, buys a farm called “Arrowhead” near Pittsfield, MA.
Nathaniel Hawthorne lived near by and the two became close friends
With encouragement from Hawthorne and a renewed study of Shakespeare, Melville begins work on his life’s work—Moby Dick
When first published, it was a flop and caused Melville to drop into a deep depression
d. 1891, both unappreciated and unnoticed 7

8. Nathaniel Hawthorne
b in Salem, MA, a descendent of a prominent Puritan family
One of his ancestors was a prominent judge in the Salem Witch Trials
His personal character and writing were shaped by a sense of inherited guilt
He was haunted by the intolerance and cruelty of his ancestors

9. Shiloh: a Requiem Herman Melville
Title Connotation/Denotation
Initial Response
Vocabulary
Paraphrase
Techniques
Theme
How does Melville’ poem reflect anti-transcendental ideas?

10. Hawthorne, cont.
Moved onto Brook Farm and became a part of the Transcendentalist Society
Became friends with Emerson and Thoreau, but their vastly different spiritual philosophies kept disallowed deeper friendship
Published his most famous work, The Scarlet Letter, in 1850 and it was an instant classic
His college friend, Franklin Pierce, was elected President and appointed him as American consul at Liverpool, England.
d in his sleep

11. Herman Melville b.1819 in NYC; father was a wealthy merchant
Father died when he was 2 years old
Ultimately forced to quit school and worked as a clerk, farmhand, and teacher to support family
At 19 became a sailor and worked on whaling ships exploring the South Pacific for many years
Began writing soon after this

12. Melville, cont.
Using profits from first three novels, buys a farm called “Arrowhead” near Pittsfield, MA.
Nathaniel Hawthorne lived near by and the two became close friends
With encouragement from Hawthorne and a renewed study of Shakespeare, Melville begins work on his life’s work—Moby Dick
When first published, it was a flop and caused Melville to drop into a deep depression
d. 1891, both unappreciated and unnoticed

13. Melville, cont.
Melville harshly criticized capitalism, slavery, war and imperialism, but he showed passionate empathy for “classes of men who bear the same relation to society at large that the wheels do to a coach.”