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American Transcendentalism

• It was a high counsel that I once heard given
  to a young person, always do what you are afraid
  to do.
• - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Transcendentalism

• A literary movement in the 1830s that
  established a clear American voice.
• Emerson first expressed his philosophy in his
  essay Nature.
• A belief in a higher reality than that achieved
  by human reasoning.
• Suggests that every individual is capable of
  discovering this higher truth through intuition.

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Transcendentalism, cont.

• Unlike Puritans, they saw humans and nature as
  possessing an innate goodness.
• In the faces of men and women, I see God
• -Walt Whitman
• Opposed strict ritualism and the dogma (set of
  principles) of established religion.

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The Tenets of Transcendentalism

• Believed in living close to nature/importance of
  nature. Nature is the source of truth and
  inspiration.
• Taught the dignity of manual labor
• Advocated self-trust/ confidence
• Valued individuality/non-conformity/free thought
• Advocated self-reliance/ simplicity

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The First Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson

• (1803-1882)
• Individuality, independence, and appreciation for
  the wonders of nature are a few of the principles
  that Emerson helped to ingrain into Americas
  identity.
• Was a minister until his first wife died.
• At the time, the culture was down-playing the
  importance of the individual.
• Industrial Revolution showed that machines could
  replace people.
• Individuals did not matter.

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Emerson biography, cont.

• Emerson, however, believed that the human mind
  was the most important force in the universe.
• Resigned from the church.
• Traveled to Europe to visit with some of the
  great philosophers of the day.
• Came home, settled in Concord, Massachusetts,
  remarried, and began a lifelong career of
  writing.

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Emerson Self-Reliance

• In this essay, Emerson encourages readers to
  avoid blindly conforming to the ideas and
  behavior dictated by society or peers.
• Instead, he urges people to think and act
  independently.
• There is a time in every mans education when he
  arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance
  that imitation is suicide
• to be great is to be misunderstood

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Emerson Nature

• In this excerpt from his book Nature, Emerson
  expresses his belief that the meaning of
  existence can be found by exploring the natural
  world.
• He describes how, through his exploration of
  nature, he has discovered that he is spiritually
  connected with the universe, with God, and with
  every living thing.

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Henry David Thoreau, biography

• (1817-1862)
• Even as a child, neighbors considered him
  eccentric.
• Rarely followed the rules.
• Independent and strong-willed didnt care about
  his education.
• Eventually attended Harvard students were
  supposed to wear black coats, but Thoreau wore a
  green one.

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HDT biography, cont.

• In 1841, Moved in with Ralph Waldo Emerson.
• Lived there for two years, performing odd jobs to
  pay for room and board.
• Became fascinated with Emersons Transcendental
  beliefs.
• They became close friends.
• Thoreau devoted the rest of his life to exploring
  and writing about the spiritual relationship
  between humanity and nature and supporting his
  political and social beliefs.

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On Walden Pond

• From 1845-1847, he lived alone in a cabin he
  built himself at Walden Pond outside of Concord.
• His experiences during this period provided him
  with the material for his masterwork, Walden.
• A unique blend of natural observation, social
  criticism, and philosophical insight, Walden is
  now generally regarded as the supreme work of
  Transcendentalist literature.

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