American Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism
related to romanticism
an emphasis on the supremacy of nature
influenced by Immanuel Kant (1724-1804)
humans are a part of nature❗
controversial because of Genesis and the Bible which states that humans are above nature
God is in all things in nature
therefore humans carry a part of God's divinity
therefore by looking inward and into nature you may find wisdom
believe in innate goodness
trust spontaneous intuition
since we can imagine the divine and the infinite without experiencing these things, the notion must be within us
non-conformist
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
advocated women's rights
background
became an abolitionist
believed in racial hierarchy as young
never supported slavery
lectured about a number of topics which was later published
Unitarianism
reject the Trinity, original sin, infallibility of the Bible, predestination
poet and essayist
'the most' influential American writer
some of which became involved in social causes
abolition of slavery
= ABOLITIONISM
e.g. the rights of women, labourers, prisoners, the poor, Natives
e.g. educational reform
influenced a number of writers and thinkers
a transcendentalist
led the American transcendentalist movement in the mid 19th C.
Emerson: 'Self Reliance' (1841)
expresses his beliefs regarding society, non-conformity, youth, intuition, etc.
thesis on intuition
'To believe your own thought, to believe that what is true for you in your private heart is true for all men - that is genius'
advocating youths
'Do not think that the youth has no force, because he cannot speak to you and me'
the youth does not conform and are more worth listening to
nature
unity
feelings abolition
youth
innate goodness spirituality
non-conformity intuition
Walt Whitman: 'Song of Myself' (1892)
puts 'myself' in the centre
form and metre (or lack thereof) reflect transcendentalism
Allan Ginsberg: 'A Supermarket in California' (1956)
Allen Ginsberg
the 'Beat Generation' in 50s and 60s
Whitman is the companion
America is forgetting itself (in the river Lethe)
back to transcendentalism?
Emily Dickinson: 'A Bird Came Down the Walk' (1891)
strict metre and rhyme scheme
enjambment
a line runs into the other
Is it possible to consider Dickinson a transcendentalist?
the theme might be argument for this
Emily Dickinson: 'The Bible is an antique volume'
Dickinson nicknamed this poem "Sanctuary Privileges." It's mad people's right to do whatever they like in a protected place. She owned the right to write mad poems
questioning established religious structures