Transcendentalism
1. Definition of Transcendentalism
Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the 1830s and
1840s in the Eastern region of the United States as a protest to the general state of
culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at Harvard University
and the doctrine of the Unitarian church taught at Harvard Divinity School.
The movement directly influenced the growing movement of "Mental Sciences" of
the mid-19th century, which would later become known as the New Thought
movement.
The publication of Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1836 essay Nature is usually considered
the watershed moment at which transcendentalism became a major cultural
movement.
2. Transcendentalists' core beliefs
Among the transcendentalists' core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both man and
nature. Transcendentalists believed that society and its institutions—particularly
organized religion and political parties—ultimately corrupted the purity of the
individual. They had faith that man is at his best when truly "self-reliant" and
independent. It is only from such real individuals that true community could be
formed. Transcendentalists were strong believers in the power of the individual and
divine messages. Their beliefs are closely linked with those of the Romantics.
3. Major figure
The major figures in the movement were Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David
Thoreau, John Muir, Margaret Fuller and Amos Bronson Alcott.
(1)Ralph Waldo Emerson (May 25, 1803 – April 27, 1882) was an American essayist,
lecturer, and poet, who led the Transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century.
He was seen as a champion of individualism and a prescient critic of the
countervailing pressures of society, and he disseminated his thoughts through dozens
of published essays and more than 1,500 public lectures across the United States.
Emerson wrote most of his important essays as lectures first, then revised them for
print. His first two collections of essays – Essays: First Series and Essays: Second
Series, published respectively in 1841 and 1844 – represent the core of his thinking,
and include such well-known essays as Self-Reliance, The Over-Soul, Circles, The
Poet and Experience.
Self-Reliance
Self-Reliance is an essay written by American Transcendentalist philosopher and
essayist, Ralph Waldo Emerson. It contains the most thorough statement of one of
Emerson's recurrent themes, the need for each individual to avoid conformity and
false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts and ideas. It is the source of one
of Emerson's most famous quotations: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little
minds" (often misquoted by omission of the word "foolish").
(2)Henry David Thoreau (July 12, 1817 – May 6, 1862) was an American author, poet,
philosopher, abolitionist, naturalist, tax resister, development critic, surveyor,
historian, and leading transcendentalist. He is best known for his book Walden, a
reflection upon simple living in natural surroundings, and his essay Civil
Disobedience, an argument for individual resistance to civil government in moral
opposition to an unjust state.
Walden
Walden (first published as Walden; or, Life in the Woods) is an American book written
by noted transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau. The work is part personal
declaration of independence, social experiment, voyage of spiritual discovery, satire,
and manual for self-reliance.[2] Published in 1854, it details Thoreau's experiences
over the course of two years in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, amidst woodland
owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, near Concord, Massachusetts.
(3)John Muir (21 April 1838 – 24 December 1914[1]) was a Scottish-born American
naturalist, author, and early advocate of preservation of wilderness in the United
States. His letters, essays, and books telling of his adventures in nature, especially in
the Sierra Nevada mountains of California, have been read by millions. His activism
helped to preserve the Yosemite Valley, Sequoia National Park and other wilderness
areas. The Sierra Club, which he founded, is now one of the most important
conservation organizations in the United States. One of the most well-known hiking
trails in the U.S., the 211-mile (340km) John Muir Trail, was named in his honor.
Other places named in his honor are Muir Woods National Monument, Muir Beach,
John Muir College, Mount Muir, Camp Muir and Muir Glacier.
(4)Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossoli, commonly known as Margaret Fuller, (May 23, 1810
– July 19, 1850) was an American journalist, critic, and women's rights advocate
associated with the American transcendentalism movement. She was the first full-time
American female book reviewer in journalism. Her book Woman in the Nineteenth
Century is considered the first major feminist work in the United States.
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