Lecture 7
Americanizing American Culture
7.1. Unitarianism and Transcendentalism
7.2. Ralph Waldo Emerson
7.3. Henry David Thoreau
7.4. Other Transcendentalists: Ripley, Brownson, Fuller
Edgar Allan Poe was a poet and author whose texts were not distinctly 'American' in choice of subjects and settings, but his economy and also his choice of genre and textuality were, for the simple reason that he depended on the situation and constitution of the American literary and cultural market.
Within this market, there was a continuing debate and difference in opinion as to what American culture was supposed to be, or rather, how it was supposed to be American, as well as how American it was supposed to be. Poe in this respect was almost an extremist
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That German idealism and its central figures – Schelling, Fichte, Schleiermacher, and Hegel – had become more well known among American intellectuals had to do with American mobility, and with monetary exchange values. After the War of 1812, and with the new American prosperity, the originally English 18th c. ideal of the "grand tour of Europe" became an American fashion, too. Bolstered by a strong currency, American would-be scholars travelled the continent, and British scholars and notables learned that from an American perspective they were a part of the Grand Tour of Europe, too. German universities held the highest prestige, so select students like the later Harvard Professor, politician and celebrated orator Edward Everett enrolled at Göttingen to study classical philology. Others went to – Heidelberg of course. Ralph Waldo Emerson at least made it to England on money inherited from his first wife, and met Thomas Carlyle, Wordsworth and others.
The philosophy of transcendentalism, however, contained more that was autochthonous than what had been imported. For one, there were roots in Calvinist Puritanism, even though transcendentalism attempted to overcome and set itself as apart from these roots. And two, the nationalist cant of the period demanded the establishment of an American national culture, so transcendentalism always was accompanied by nationalist under- or
Transcendentalism is a major romantic movement during the 19th century. It was a period of romance where people learned to love themselves. The poem Self-Reliance, is by Ralph Waldo Emerson. In this excerpt, he emphasizes the traits of being a transcendentalist. The selection Tia Chucha, is by Luis Rodriguez.
It also revived the emotional side of religion which led to Transcendentalism. This was a philosophical and literary movement in response to rationalism and the enlightenment. It was centered around Ralph Waldo Emerson. Transcendentalists were critics of own society. They thought that society corrupted the purity of an individual.
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.”- Henry David Thoreau. Transcendentalism is an American philosophy that revolves around self-reliance and independence, commonly in nature, a Transcendentalist wants to find the true meaning in life. I believe that Chris McCandless was a Transcendentalist because he was able to leave his whole life behind and take on a minimalist lifestyle while having a strong relationship with god. However, I believe that I am not a Transcendentalist, but simply an adventurer.
Thoreau and Emerson became very good friends which is when Thoreau was introduced to transcendentalism. Thoreau was taught about the many transcendentalist movement's most important figures, for example, Bronson Alcott and Margret Fuller. Emerson was a very important figure in Thoreau's life and he supported him in everything he did. Thoreau also lived with Emerson and served as a caretaker for him and his home. Emerson would promote some of Thoreau's works and even got one of his works posted in The Dial, which was a transcendentalist
Transcendentalism is a highly competitive world of the market revolution which strongly encouraged the identification of American freedom without any restraints on people who were seeking financial improvement and personal development. It was a world in which regional developments along with the market revolution crushed traditional and social borders. For example moving from one place to another was a common characteristic of the American life. Transcendentalism believed in individual judgment over existing social traditions and institutions.
Transcendentalist Era In the 1830’s, a group called the transcendentalist arose. It lasted from 1836 to just about 1861. Some people were upset about how the Unitarian church was running things so instead people turned to nature. Basically they believed that any individual was more powerful than any institution.
Transcendentalism in the 21st Century Now Ralph Waldo Emerson created this philosophy that he called transcendentalism over 150 years ago. There are many ways people can represent these ideals of transcendentalism such as being a nonconformist, rebelling against things that contradict one’s opinion, living a simple life, appreciating nature, accepting the circumstances in life, searching for the meaning of life independently, and standing up for personal beliefs. Now with technology sweeping nations all over, some people might argue that these ideals are not valued anymore while others disagree. In small ways, all over the world, people are doing simple things that pertain to the transcendentalism philosophy.
Caro Clark March 11, 201 6 Group I. Question 1. Kant defines the term transcendental as, “all knowledge which is occupied not so much with objects as with the mode of our knowledge of objects in so far as this mode of knowledge is to be possible a priori.” (A12) Transcendental philosophy is not concerned with the nature of objects but only the understanding’s a priori knowledge, which passes judgment on the nature of things. Kant’s transcendental philosophy begins with his transcendental aesthetic, in which he demonstrates that all knowledge arising from the senses are possible only through the pure forms of intuition, space and time.
Colonists founded America based on the principles of religious freedom and individuality the colonists desired to possess as one unified nation. After the Revolutionary War, the American people were driven to establish their own country and beliefs where they could be unrestricted from all persecution. As a result, Americans fell into the “American Romantic Movement,” which contradicted all logical and structured thoughts. Now, instead of religious and reasonable works, writers drafted works that expressed their new capability of free-thinking and individuality; however, some authors continued to publish works that depicted both romantic and rational views which readers began to criticize and argue. Dr. Heidegger’s Experiment by Nathaniel
Transcendentalist writers were focused on the belief of the divinity of the individual soul, the inner voice, (Crawford, Kern & Needleman, 1961) to overcome social stereotypes and to avoid conformity. It is highlighted the importance to return to nature to enhance the quality of humans beings by living simply since being apart of common social rules is the only way to be in communion with nature’s wisdom. Those transcendental characteristics could be seen in Emerson’s ¨self-reliance¨ or Thoreau’s ¨Walden ¨ bearing in mind that although, Emerson’s ¨Self-reliance¨ adheres more descriptive examples to illustrate metaphors and Thoreau’s ¨Where I lived and what I lived for¨ introduces metaphors creating much more imagery, both make a critique of the modern individual using
Transcendentalism is the belief that man is inherently good, is an independent thinker, and goes out into nature to get in touch with himself. Generally, man has good intentions and intends no harm unto others. In addition, man does not need society to give him and develop his thoughts, as he already has them within. To help bring out these already installed beliefs, man has the desire to go out into nature to get in touch with himself and find deeper notions within. In Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writings “Self Reliance” and “American Scholar”, he writes about how being a true individual means that one must have his own beliefs, and not copy someone else’s ideas.
In many stories and poems; such as the Tell Tale Heart, The Cask of Amontillado, The Raven, Annabel Lee, The House of Usher, and so many more timeless works, Edgar Allan Poe has been captivating his audiences with spine tingling thrillers through the words and style of his own twisted ways. The only way to describe where Poe’s writing belongs in history, would be classified as gothic genre. From the start of the 1800’s to present day and the future of literature, through irony, repetition, imagery, and symbolism Poe has been bewitching readers with his gore and insane writings. Poe’s life inspired so many of his poems, from focusing on taboo topics, such as death, revenge, love and loss. Poe’s life was painful and heartbreaking that
People consider Emerson the “father of Transcendentalism”. He believed that man would thrive if he trusted himself. Man was inherently good and could do no wrong. In Emerson’s “Nature”, a work about Emerson’s view on nature, he writes: “We must trust the perfection of the creation so far, as to believe that whatever curiosity the order of things has awakened in our minds, the order of things can satisfy” (Emerson Par 2). Man did not need to rely on society, or entangle himself in the patterns of the world; man’s intuition would be enough for his success.
Both philosophies were very similar to each other since the two movements were a reaction against the contemporary strict traditions, laws, and religious rules. They both placed a huge emphasis on the individual as well as inspiration from nature. In the following, I will discuss American Transcendentalism and Romanticism in relation to Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay ‘The American Scholar’ and Walt Whitman’s poem ‘Song of Myself’. Emerson was an American poet, essayist and lecturer. He is known as one of the people who took a leading part in the Transcendentalist movement, including a champion of individualism.
1. Introduction This research paper deals with Washington Irving's most famous short story Rip Van Winkle, which tells the story of a man, who falls into a magical sleep during the English colonial time and wakes up twenty years later as a citizen of the United States of America. It will be looked into the characteristics that make Rip Van Winkle a Romantic piece of literature and how Washington Irving's intentions are reflected in his writing. Hereby Washington Irving’s life itself will be taken into consideration together with the Romantic period to demonstrate how these two domains are combined in Rip Van Winkle. 2.