Transcript What is Transcendentalism? Key Emphasis: Self

What is Transcendentalism?
Key Emphasis: Self-Reliance
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 The transcendentalists originated in New England
in the mid-1830’s. This group adopted some of
Romanticisms’ ideals and mixed them with
antipuritanism, antirationality, and mysticism and
aspects of Eastern philosophies. A more optimistic
offshoot of Romanticism.
Transcendentalist
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 Central Belief in unity between nature and God, the
presence of God in each individual, and the potential
perfectibility of humans.
Principles of
Transcendentalism
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 Intuition, rather than reason or imagination, was
regarded as the highest human faculty.
 The focus was on the individual.
 Looking to simplicity in one’s life as a path to
spiritual greatness.
 Opposed the reigning materialism and widespread
conformity of American culture.
 Looked to nature as a source of truth and inspiration.
 Stressed non-conformity, emphasizing individuality
and self-reliance.
Transcendentalism Vs. Puritian
Thoughts
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 Transcendentalism rejected the strict Puritan
religious attitudes.
 Puritan religion was the heritage of New England,
where the movement originated.
 Unlike the Puritans, the Transcendentalists saw
humans and nature as possessing an innate
goodness.
 Transcendentalism opposes the strict ritualism and
dogmatic theology of all established religious
institutions.
Transcendentalist
Writers

 Transcendentalist writers expressed
 semi religious feelings toward nature
 saw a direct connection between the universe and the
individual soul.
 Divinity permeated all objects, animate or inanimate.
 Human life’s purpose was union with the so-called
Oversoul.
 Practiced self-examination
 Celebrated individualism, and the extolling of the
beauties of nature and humankind.
Dialectic Journals (DJs)
 Pull a meaningful quote from the text and respond to it.
 Quote can be about anything, or can be an example of
something (i.e. rhetorical device or rhetorical appeal)
 In your DJs, each response needs to be at least 50 words.
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Quote
Reader Response
“Emerson gave me courage
to…value my own
individual voice and vision,
even if doing so resulted in
disapproval and being
unpopular with the hip ‘in
crowd’.” pg. 362
This is a classic example of transcendentalist
thought. Because transcendentalists value
intuition over publically approved knowledge,
and the individual over any social group,
Charles Johnson shows that Emerson’s essay
encouraged him to follow a transcendentalist
path. Sometimes people who choose to follow
this path are seen by their peers as weird, or as
outcasts, because they believe that their own
voice is more important than that of the crowd.
However, it could be that these individuals are
more enlightened than those around them.