1. American Transcendentalism & Ralph Waldo Emerson+Henry David Thoreau

2. What is Transcendentalism
Idealistic philosophy, spiritual position,and literary movement that advocates reliance on romantic intuition and moral human conscience
Belief that humans can intuitively transcend the limits of the senses and of logic to a plane of “high truths”
Value spirituality,divinity of humanity, nature, intellectual pursuit, social justice
Roughly 1830s-1850s

3. Where did it come from?
Ralph Waldo Emerson gave German philosopher Immanuel Kant credit of popularizing the term “transcendentalism”
It began as a reform movement in the Unitarian church
It is a philosophy of spirituality.
It centered around Boston and Concord, MA. In the mid-1800’s.
Emerson first expressed his philosophy of transcendentalism in his essay Nature.

4. Beliefs of Transcendentalism
The intuitive faculty, instead of the rational or sensical, became the means for a conscious union of the individual psyche with the world psyche also known as the Oversoul, life-force, prime mover and G-d (known in Sanskrit as Brahma)

5. Transcendentalism as Spiritual Revival
Ironic refiguring of Puritanism without the theological dogma
Transcendentalists lonely explorers (pilgrims)outside society and convention
Trying to form new society based on metaphysical awareness
Trying to purify society by purifying hearts and minds
Nature is spiritual manifesto.

6. Major Transcendentalists
Ralph Waldo Emerson——father of American transcendentalism
Henry David Thoreau——famous practical transcendentalist

7. Ralph Waldo Emerson 1803-1882 Unitarian minister Poet and essayist
Founded the Transcendental Club
Popular lecturer
Banned from Harvard for 40 years following his Divinity School address
Supporter of abolitionism

8. Emerson’s Major Works
Nature 1836——Emerson’s most original and significant work, offering the essence of his philosophy of American Transcendentalism
The American Scholar 1837——America;s literary declaration of independence
The Divinity School Address 1838
Essays: First Series 1841
Essays: Second Series 1844
Contain some of his most
Profound statements of
transcendentalism

9. Emerson’s Major Works 6) Representative Men 1850
7) English Traits 1856
8) The Conduct of Life 1860
9) May-Day and Other Pieces 1867

10. Nature
Most of his major ideas: the need for a new national vision, the use of personal
Experience, the notion of the cosmic Over-Soul, and the doctrine of compensation——are suggested in his first publication: Nature (1836)

11. Emerson’s Influence
A great prose-poet, Emerson influenced a long line of American poets, including Walt Whitman, Emily Dickinson, Edwin Arlington Robinson,Wallace Stevens, Hart Crane, and Robert Frost.
He is also credited with influencing the philosophies of John Dewey, George Santayana, Friedrich Nietzsche, and William James.

12. Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862 Schoolteacher, essayist,poet
Most famous for Walden and Civil Disobedience
Influenced environmental movement
Supporter of abolitionism

13. Thoreau’s Major Literary Work
Civil Disobedience
A Plea for John Brown
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers
A record of a canoe excursion, giving observant
Comments on nature, man, society and literature

14. Thoreau’s Major Literary Works
Walden——regard as a classic American book that explores natural simplicity, harmony, and beauty as models for just social and cultural conditions.
A reproduction of Thoreau’s cabin with a statue of Thoreau.

15. Walden 1854
Moved to a cabin on Walden Pond, on July, 1845; lived there for 2 years
It is
A collection of nature essays
A book about man, what he is,
And what he should be and must Be
Full of ideas expressed to persuade
His neighbors out of their complacency

16. Thoreau’s Point of View
Didn’t like the way a materialistic America was developing and was strongly outspoken on this point
Hated the human injustice as represented by the slavery system
Saw nature as a genuine restorative, healthy influence on man’s spiritual well-being

17. Thoreau’s Point of View
Had faith in the inner virtue and inward, spiritual grace of man
Was very critical of modern civilization
He was impatient with his fellowmen
Who did not want to spend so little time on self-improvement
Had trust in the future