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UNIT IV: TRANSCENDENTALISM America’s First Identity Crisis 1840 - 1870 How it Fits Romanticism 1800-1840 Literary Nationalism Transcendentalism Realism 1840-1870 1870-1900 Literary Nationalism (1800 - 1840) Established national identity Heroes (e.g., Natty Bumpo) Anti-heroes (e.g., Tom Walker) Local color (regional dialect, setting) National identity rooted in: 1. 2. 3. B. Franklin’s Virtues and the American Dream Puritanism – Work Ethic and City Upon a Hill Democracy Literary Nationalism (1800 - 1840) Influenced by European Romanticism Truth in absolutes Morality, thus, is absolute Heroes = Idealized; impossibly perfect; extraordinary people in extraordinary situations Anti-Heroes/Enemies = pure evil All good or all evil; no gray area Emphasis Extraordinary people in extraordinary situations Often stresses the past Glorifies nature – its appearance and grandeur Literary Nationalism (1800 - 1840) 1800 - 1840 : America’s obedient schoolboy years Historical Context Nothing seemed to deter America’s growth in the nineteenth century. Geographically – America was pushing frontiers to the Pacific Politically – it was finding its identity as a democratic government divided into three branches Socially – it was in a fervent state of development, constantly creating and developing new communities with its ever-expanding boundaries. Historical Context, cont. … Such growth and advancement imbued Americans with a collective sense of optimism and belief in progress. Americans knew they had a special place in history That feeling pervaded everything they thought, did, or believed. Historical Context Policies adopted in this period placed emphasis on energy, enterprise and personal achievement. Laissez-faire capitalism reigned. America as a giant workshop. Emphasis on business, growing personal wealth and getting ahead became the underpinning for what most American believed was the ideal democratic society. Historical Context, cont… Cities grew in size Populations scattered and the number of states increased Growth and expansion gave the nation a firm belief in it’s own progress Political climate that elevated self-made men like Andrew Jackson instilled the populace with faith in the power of the individual to rise above his or her own circumstances and fashion his or her own place in the world. Gave a collective sense of rising above, both on a cultural and individual level, created fertile ground for an optimistic, if not idealistic, American philosophy to take hold In the 1840’s, America enters its teenage years… …and the country experiences its first identity crisis! Enter the Transcendentalists! (America’s “adolescence”) America’s Identity Crisis TRANSCENDENTALISM: Origins Major national issues came together causing America’s “identity crisis”: 1. 2. Slavery Westward expansion America = half free states / half slave Q: Would new states be slave or free? Exacerbating the issue: Mexican War 1846-1848 –would new territory also be free or a slave territory? TRANSCENDENTALISM: Origins 1840-50: movement of writers began to seriously challenge American values Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Nathaniel Hawthorne Herman Melville Group focuses on reform Ties with Unitarian Church (rejection of Trinity) Still influenced by European ideas and Eastern philosophies Departure from ROMANTICISM (focus on the extraordinary, uncommon, intangible) Embracing of REALISM (focus on the ordinary, common, tangible) TRANSCENDENTALISM: What it is Belief that the transcendent (or spiritual) reality, rather than the material world, is the ultimate reality mind/spirit > body/society Transcend: (v.) to go beyond the range or limits of something TRANSCENDENTALISM: What it is The transcendental reality can be known not by the rational faculty or logic, but only by intuition or mystical insight Oversoul: a divine spirit that pervades the universe and encompasses all human souls (coined by R.W. Emerson, author) All people are open to this higher knowledge; it is a philosophy of individualism and self-reliance TRANSCENDENTALISM: Beliefs… Americans should simplify life by deemphasizing materialism and institutions Material possessions and institutions defined Americans from the outside Culture was disseminated by 4 institutions: 1. 2. 3. 4. Education Family Religion Government Transcendentalists: “No need for this!” Man is inherently good, so he must trust his own intuition and nature to define his lifestyle (truth is found within us) Wrong is the New Right “If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.” – Henry David Thoreau TRANSCENDENTALISM: Beliefs Considered themselves the “Conscience of the Nation” Challenged individuals to “question authority” Praised non-conformity Believed: morality > legality Taught the dignity of manual labor Advocated self-trust/ confidence TRANSCENDENTALISM: Where is truth? Truth to the transcendentalist = what one wants to find for oneself that has meaning Believed God is in nature (both physical and intuitive). Believed truth is found in communion with God (thus, in nature) Finding one’s own spirituality will lead one to truth God can’t be found in church God is spiritual, but not ecumenical (belonging to a church) Romanticism REALISM Civil War to turn of the century Realism: Style of writing, usually prose, in which surface appearance is presented in an unembellished way. In contrast to romance or the fantastic, the realist writer also seeks to represent experiences that are usual or typical rather than extraordinary or exotic. Captures ordinary people in everyday experiences and settings with almost photographic precision and detail Represents the common through common language Attack upon Romanticism and Romantic writers. "Where romanticists transcend the immediate to find the ideal, and naturalists plumb the actual or superficial to find the scientific laws that control its actions, realists center their attention to a remarkable degree on the immediate, the here and now, the specific action, and the verifiable consequence" Transcendentalist Writers – 1850-1870 Ralph Waldo Emerson Poet, Essayist, Lecturer Henry David Thoreau Essayist, Walden Civil Disobedience Nathaniel Hawthorne Writer The Scarlet Letter House of the Seven Gables Herman Melville Author Poet Moby Dick The Confidence Realism in Literature Mark Twain Stephen Crane Theodore Dreiser Edith Wharton
