Transcendentalism

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Transcendentalism
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Complete the Transcendentalism Preview Handout
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What does transcendentalism mean?

• Belief in a higher kind of knowledge than can be
  achieved by human reason
• A loose collection of eclectic ideas about
  literature, philosophy, religion, social reform,
  and the general state of American culture.
• Transcendentalism had different meanings for each
  person involved in the movement.

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• From 1840-1855, literature in America
  experienced a rebirth called the New England
  Renaissance. Through their poetry, short stories,
  novels, and other works, writers during this
  period established a clear American voice. No
  longer did they see their work as less
  influential than that of European authors.
  Transcendentalism was a part of this flowering
  of American literature. Ralph Waldo Emerson and
  Henry David Thoreau were important voices in this
  philosophical movement that sought to have
  individuals transcend to a higher spiritual
  level. To achieve this goal, the individual had
  to seek spiritual, not material, greatness and
  the essential truths of life through intuition.
  Emerson was the philosopher and teacher. Thoreau
  was the student and the practitioner.
• -Web of American Transcendentalism.

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Basic Premise 1

• OVERSOUL
• Man, universe and nature are intertwined.
• All three share the same soul.
• A universal spirit to which all things return
  after death
• Proposed by Emerson

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Basic Premise 2

• OPTIMISTIC
• All is good
• Evil is an illusion

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Basic Premise 3

• INDIVIDUALISM
• Non-conformity
• Free thought
• Self-reliance
• Be true to ones own inner perception or
  intuition
• Unlimited potential of each individual
  (confidence)

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Basic Premise 4

• NATURE IS TRUTH.
• It can be a guide to higher understanding.
• Symbolizes God or the inner life of human beings

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Who were the Transcendentalists?

• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Henry David Thoreau
• Amos Bronson Alcott
• Margaret Fuller
• Ellery Channing

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Where did it come from?

• Ralph Waldo Emerson gave German philosopher
  Immanuel Kant credit for popularizing the term
  transcendentalism. (1700s)
• It began as a reform movement in the Unitarian
  church (encourages people to find their own
  spirituality)
• It is not a religionmore accurately, it is a
  philosophy or form of spirituality.
• It centered around Boston and Concord, MA. in the
  mid-1800s.
• Emerson first expressed his philosophy of
  transcendentalism in his essay Nature.

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Who was Immanuel Kant?

• Russian philosopher influential in Germany
• Believed everything is acquired through
  experience but reason plays a major role

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Development in the US

• Emerson and the Transcendentalists led the search
  for truth
• In nature
• Through self-reliance
• Transcendentalism began with a few and grew
• This philosophy lasted for several years in New
  England
• Ended as the Civil War began

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Roots of Transcendentalism

• Puritanism
• Belief in God as a powerful force
• Belief that each individual can experience God
  first-hand
• Romanticism
• Placed central importance on emotions and the
  individual
• Emphasized intuition and inner perception of
  truth that differs from reason
• Emphasized natures beauty, strangeness, and
  mystery
• Emphasized individual expression and artistic
  freedom

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Ralph Waldo Emerson

• 1803-1882
• Unitarian minister- resigned after 3 years
• Poet and essayist
• Founded the Transcendental Club
• Popular lecturer
• Banned from Harvard for 40 years following his
  Divinity School address
• Supporter of abolitionism
• Wrote Nature and
• Self-Reliance

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Henry David Thoreau

• 1817-1862
• Schoolteacher, essayist, poet
• Most famous for Walden and Civil Disobedience
• Influenced environmental movement
• Supporter of abolitionism

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Amos Bronson Alcott

• 1799-1888
• Teacher and writer
• Founder of Temple School and Fruitlands
• Introduced art, music, P.E., nature study, and
  field trips banished corporal punishment
• Father of novelist Louisa May Alcott

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Margaret Fuller

• 1810-1850
• Journalist, critic, womens rights activist
• First editor of The Dial, a transcendental
  journal
• First female journalist to work on a major
  newspaperThe New York Tribune
• Taught at Alcotts Temple School

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Ellery Channing

• 1818-1901
• Poet and especially close friend of Thoreau
• Published the first biography of Thoreau in
  1873Thoreau, The Poet-Naturalist

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Review

• Non-Conformity
• Self-Reliance
• Free Thought
• Confidence
• Importance of Nature

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Read Emerson Biography p. 388 Nature- p. 390

• Answer Questions

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Read Self Reliance p. 393

• Answer Questions

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Resources

• American Transcendental Web http//www.vcu.edu/en
  gweb/transcendentalism/index.html
• American Transcendentalism http//www.wsu.edu/ca
  mpbelld/amlit/amtrans.htm
• PAL Chapter Four http//www.csustan.edu/english/r
  euben/pal/chap4/4intro.html

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Complete the Simplify, Simplify, Simplify handout
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Pathway around WALDEN POND in Concord, MA
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Thoreaus cabin at Walden Pond
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Who was Henry David Thoreau?

• Read p. 404
• Read Walden p. 407

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• Michael Scott Survivor Man
• What did Michael Scott hope to achieve by going
  out to the wilderness?
• How does this compare to Thoreaus choice to live
  on Walden Pond and his motivation?

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Walden

• If you have built castles in the air, your work
  need not be lost that is where they should be.
  Now put the foundations under them (Thoreau
  412).
• Why should we be in such desperate haste to
  succeed, and in such desperate enterprises?

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What is civil disobedience?

• The deliberate and public refusal to obey laws
  that violate ones personal principles
• Thoreau believed the government was an impediment
  to the productivity and achievements of the
  American people
• Do you agree?
• How can you have your voices heard in government?

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Read Thoreausexcerpt from Civil Disobedience

• p. 416

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• Ron Swanson on WHY GOVERNMENT MATTERS
• How does the following clip compare to Thoreaus
  claims about government?

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After Reading

• What is Thoreaus claim, warrant and impact?
• What motto does Thoreau accept?
• How would he like to see that motto implemented?
• How does Thoreau define the best possible kind of
  government?

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Reflect on PROTEST lesson

• Where have we seen examples of protest in the
  past quarter?
• Do you believe Thoreaus protest is valid and
  impactful?