Transcendentalist writers
The writings of the Transcendentalists and those of contemporaries such as Walt WhitmanHerman Melvilleand Nathaniel Hawthornefor whom they prepared the ground, represent the first flowering of the American artistic genius and introduced the American Renaissance in literature see also American literature: American Renaissance.
Coupled with the growing unease over slavery and the economy, the intellectual climate simply no longer supported the high-minded idealism of the Transcendentalists.
Transcendentalism provided Thoreau with a different view on humanity and religion. Thoreau was arrested in for nonpayment of his poll tax, and he took the opportunity presented by his night in jail to meditate on the authority of the state.
We have had many harbingers and forerunners; but of a purely spiritual life, history has afforded no example.
Transcendentalism literary definition
There were over residents. Margaret Fuller played a large part in both the women's and Transcendentalist movements. The Transcendentalists were not without their critics. She journeyed to the Midwest in the summer of , and published her observations as Summer on the Lakes the following year. Transcendentalism, An American Philosophy Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass introduced the "free verse" style of poetry, reflecting the individualistic tone of transcendentalism. By the s, literature began to appear that bound the Transcendentalist ideas together in a cohesive way and marked the beginnings of a more organized movement. Later, when he wrote about the simplicity and unity of all things in nature, his faith in humanity, and his sturdy individualism, Thoreau reminded everyone that life is wasted pursuing wealth and following social customs. The only rule the meetings followed was that no one would be allowed to attend if their presence prevented the group from discussing a topic. Not everything was glory and progress, however. The purpose was to follow up on correspondence between Hodge and Emerson and to talk about the state of Unitarianism and what they could do about it. Kant asserted that humans must embrace the fact that some things cannot be known with certainty, no matter how advanced science and technology become.Fuller was in Europe from —9, sending back hundreds of pages for the Tribune. Army into the Cherokee Nation, where they rounded up as many remaining members of the tribe as they could and marched them west and across the Mississippi.
Transcendentalists differed somewhat from the Romantics in that they ultimately wanted to effect change, both personally and globally. I lay down the book and go to my well for water, and lo! Many leaders throughout this movement expressed their beliefs and ideas through writing.
Written by Josh Rahn. Nature can show that "all good things are wild and free. German philosophy and literature was also championed by Thomas Carlyle, whom Emerson met on his first trip to Europe in The experience of his arrest served as the inspiration for an essay which would later be known as Civil Disobedience.