Alfonso Diaz
L. De La Garza-Dougherty
ENGL2327
November 27, 2009
Influence of Whitman & Emerson over Fuller’s Writings
American writing hasn’t always been, as readers know it. Time before now a days
American writing was a different concept. With the pace of time many new writers came
to America and others started emerging. But 3 of the most influential writers were Sarah
M. Fuller, Walt Whitman, and Ralph W. Emerson. These three poets, journalists, and
essayists were important figures during the American transcendental movement during
the mid-19th century. Transcendentalism was a group of new ideas in literature, religion,
culture, and philosophy that emerged during the 19th century. It began as a protest against
the general state of culture and society, and in particular, the state of intellectualism at
Harvard and the doctrine of the Unitarian church taught at Harvard Divinity School.
Among transcendentalists’ core beliefs was an ideal spiritual state that transcends the
physical and empirical and is only realized through the individual’s intuition than through
the doctrines of established religions. It’s because this important movement that writes
like Fuller, Whitman, and Emerson changed the American writing style.
The Revolutionary and Civil War were two of the most influential and life
changing experiences in America, and all these 3 writers, Fuller, Whitman, and Emerson
were born during the century these wars occurred. Only Whitman and Emerson were able
to witness the Civil War because Fuller died a few years before the war began, and none
of them witnessed the Revolutionary War because none of them were born. Even though
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Fuller wasn’t alive when the war took place, she witnessed the U.S walk towards it. After
both wars ended, it gave American people equality and freedom. Thanks to the result of
these wars, many slaves and women, black or white, were finally freed. These wars didn’t
just start by themselves; there were many factors to them, like slavery or differences
between the North and the South, and the nation’s division. But what many people don’t
know is that some of the most influential factors that pushed them to start, at least for the
Civil War, were the writings created by these new style American writers. Whitman’s
“Democratic Vistas,” Emerson’s “Self-Reliance,” and Fuller’s “Women in the Nineteenth
Century,” among others, were some of the most influential literature pieces after the
Revolutionary War and Civil War in America. Besides influencing America and its
literature, these three writers, Fuller, Whitman, and Emerson, influenced each other’s
writings.
In the Ralph Waldo Emerson’s biography by the American Transcendentalism
Web, the reader can observe that Emerson was born on May 24, 1803 and died on April
27, 1882. He was an American essayist, philosopher, and poet, best known for leading
one of the most important movements of the 19th century, the Transcendentalist
movement. His teachings influenced the growing “New Thought” movement of the mid
1800s. He was seen as a prescient critic of the countervailing pressures of society and a
champion of individualism because of his different, and new-style ways of writing.
Emerson gradually moved away from the religious and social beliefs of his
contemporaries, expressing and preaching the philosophy of Transcendentalism in his
1836 essay, Nature, where the foundation of Transcendentalism is put forth, a belief
system that espouses a non-traditional appreciation of nature. As a result of this
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groundbreaking work he gave a speech entitled The American Scholar in 1837, which
Oliver Wendell Holmes considered to be America’s “Intellectual Declaration of
Independence.” But it was until 1842 that Emerson published Essays, his second book,
which included his most famous essay and one of his major works, “Self-Reliance.” His
aunt called it a “strange medley of atheism and false independence,” because it contains
the most solid statement of one of Emerson’s repeating themes, the need for each
individual to avoid conformity and false consistency, and follow his or her own instincts
and ideas. Emerson’s ideas are considered a reaction to commercial identity; he calls for
a return to individual identity. Thanks to this book, and its popular reception, more than
any of Emerson’s contributions to date laid the groundwork for his international fame
(Paragraph 1-8).
In the American Transcendentalism Web’s biography of Walt Whitman, readers
might see he was born on May 31, 1819, and died on March 26, 1892. He was an
American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist. He was part of the transition between
Transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is
among the most influential poets in the new-style American canon, often called the father
of free verse because of his magnificent pieces of work. His work was very controversial
in its time, particularly his collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene
for its overt sexuality. Nonetheless, Whitman has bee claimed as America’s first “poet of
democracy,” a title meant to reflect his ability to write in a singularly American character
and one of the major works that reflected this was his political essay Democratic Vistas.
In this essay Whitman devotes a portion of it to the plight of women in the nineteenth
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century, he spends time considerable space discussing the role of women in America
(Paragraph 1-5).
Sarah Margaret Fuller Ossolli’s biography by the American Hutchinson's
Biography Database, gives the readers some useful information about her life and works.
She was born on May 23, 1810 and died on July 19, 1850. Fuller was a journalist just like
Emerson and Whitman, but she was also a critic and a women’s rights activist associated
with the American transcendental movement, which Emerson is said to had began and
Whitman an important figure in it. She was the first full-time female book reviewer in
journalism. One of Fuller's most important works, “The Great Lawsuit,” was written in
serial form for The Dial. She originally intended to name the work "The Great Lawsuit:
Man versus Men, Woman versus Women;" when it was expanded and published
independently in 1845, it was instead named Woman in the Nineteenth Century. After
completing it, she wrote to a friend: "I had put a good deal of my true self in it, as if, I
suppose I went away now, the measure of my footprint would be left on earth." The work
discussed the role that women played in the American democracy and Fuller's opinion on
possibilities for improvement. It has since become one of the major documents in
American feminism and is considered the first of its kind in the United States. In October
1839, Ralph Waldo Emerson was seeking an editor for his transcendental journal The
Dial and, after several had declined the role, he offered it to Fuller, referring to her as
“my vicious friend.” Fuller accepted Emerson’s offer to edit The Dial on October 20,
1839, but she didn’t work until the first week of 1840. Because of her role, she was soon
recognized as one of the most important figures of the transcendental movement.
Unfortunately, Fuller had to leave The Dial in 1844 because of ill health. She then moved
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to New York and started working at Horace Greeley’s New York Tribune as literary
critic, becoming the first full-time book reviewer in journalism, and by 1846, was the
publication’s first female editor. Her first article was a review of a collection of essays by
Emerson, was printed in December 1, 1844. She also published her poetry; her poems,
styled after one of her major influences, Emerson’s works, didn’t have the same
intellectual vigor as her criticism. Around this time, she was also involved in a scandal
involving fellow literary critic Edgar Allan Poe, who had been carrying on a public
flirtation with the married poet Frances Sargent Osgood (Paragraph 1-15).
After reading about these three writer’s background life and their works, readers
can acknowledge the fact that they were all interrelated and influential to each other.
Perhaps, Emerson and Whitman can be compared and contrasted more with each other,
rather than with Fuller. But this doesn’t mean they weren’t a great influence on her. Walt
Whitman and Ralph. W. Emerson can be seen as the mentor and the apprentice. Whitman
takes the instructions announced by Emerson and runs gallantly with them making
poetry. They both wrote in an age where society, unfortunately, wasn’t ready for such
dramatic and controversial way of writing. Whitman and Emerson use topics and themes
related to freedom, religion, democracy, influenced mainly by the movement they started,
the transcendentalism. To truly understand these writers, the reader must first know read
and comprehend their writings, and keep in mind that usually Emerson’s writings were an
instruction manual that Whitman adopted in order to become an outstanding poet. Even
though with the many similarities these two authors shared, they also shared a long list of
differences. Because of the way of writing and some points of view, the reader might
compare one writer to be the North Pole and the other one the South Pole, in other words
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“completely opposite.” For example, Emerson mentions in Self-Reliance, "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" (1747). Here Emerson is trying to explain that one must believe
what one thinks. Whatever it is that people believe in their hearts, what is right and what
is wrong, is true and a guide for everyone. He clearly doesn’t want any authority or any
type of democracy. Emerson believes that people should be free, roaming souls able to
govern themselves to nothing else but their own will. In the Government Quotes
webpage, the reader can find one of Emerson’s quote where he states, The less
Government we have the better." and "Democracy becomes a Government of bullies
tampered by editors" (Government Quotes – Emerson’s Quote # 23). With this quote one
can clearly see how Emerson’s view of democracy, rules, and a strict society wasn’t
really good. He defied every ruled imposed to the man and wanted to live in an anarchy
society were one could be a self ruler. Contrasting with Whitman, he was always in favor
of democracy and rules, in his Democratic Vistas sates, The main thing being the
average, the bodily, the concrete, the democratic, the popular, on which all the
superstructures of the future are to permanently rest" (3117). He opposes Emerson’s view
of an antidemocratic society. Whitman is in favor of a bodily, well organized, democratic
society. Whitman always acknowledged that the government’s action was to take place in
order to support a democratic society. Whitman emphasizes this in the Misses Daily from
the Ludwig Von Misses Institute by Gary Galles, Whitman states "It is only the novice in
political economy who thinks it the duty of government to make its citizens happy.
Government has no such office. To protect the weak and the minority from the
impositions of the strong and the majority--to prevent any one from positively working to
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render the people unhappy, to do the labor not of an officious inter-meddler in the affairs
of men, but of a prudent watchman who prevents outrage--these are rather the proper
duties of a government" (Paragraph 4). He believed that the government was our
watchman, not our oppressor, but making sure that the government acknowledged and
respected the fact that not because it was bigger than the people they would mistreat
them. Nevertheless, at the end they both seek the same accomplishment, which is to live
in an organized society, with the rules that best accommodate to the people, and that both
find self-reliance and self-consciousness, along with freedom and rights. Emerson and
Whitman showed they were uniquely American men in their own distinctive way. They
were both interested in their country and great writers that supported one of the greatest
and most influential movements of that time, the transcendentalism. Just as stated in the
Walt Whitman’s archives by Price, Ed Folsom, and Kenneth M., “They spoke to people
and urged listeners to follow his ways and be self-reliant and self-trusting” (Paragraph 27,
Line 3).
Margaret Fuller shared the same idealism with Emerson and Whitman, she was
one of the first feminist writers in the United States, and was also involved in the
transcendentalism movement. Fuller was an early proponent of feminism and especially
believed in providing education to women. Once equal educational rights were afforded
women, she believed, women could push for equal political rights as well. She advocated
that women seek any employment they wish, rather than catering to the stereotypical
feminine roles of the time, such as teaching. Fuller also advocated reform at all levels of
society, including prison. She was also concerned about the homeless and those living in
dire poverty. She also admitted that, though she was raised to believe "that the Indian
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obstinately refused to be civilized", her travels in the American West made her realize
that the white man unfairly treated the Native Americans; she considered Native
Americans an important part of American heritage. She also supported the rights of
African-Americans, referring to "this cancer of slavery", and suggested that those who
were interested in the Abolition movement follow the same reasoning when considering
the rights of women. Just like she defended a better democratic society and the rights of
women, Whitman also mentioned women in his essay Democratic Vistas located in the
book Complete Poetry and Selected Prose. He refers to a new kind of woman, “perfect
woman,” whose role in the New World is “indispensable” (456). He doesn’t discuss
further what is meant by perfect but a few pages later, Whitman elaborates on the role of
women and offers this interesting passage:
….and, as perhaps the most precious of its results, achieving the entire
redemption of woman out of these incredible holds and webs of silliness, millinery, and
every kind of dyspeptic depletion-and thus insuring to the States a strong and sweet
Female Race, a race of Perfect Mothers-is what is needed (463).
Whitman is clearly on the same side of the coin as Fuller. They both want the best
for society, especially for women in that time. Contrasting Fuller with Emerson might be
difficult because she criticized people like Emerson, however, for focusing too much on
individual improvement and not enough on social reform. Even though she wanted
individualism for women at that time, they both seek the same thing but at different levels
and perspectives. As states in Emerson’s Self-Reliance explanation by Gary Sloam,
“Probably the finest 19th century defense of the ideal of individualism may be found in
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Self-Reliance. With many social individualists, democratic
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seekers, and right fighters, the person we can found the most resemblance is with Sarah
M. Fuller because of her never ending fight for the women’s individualism” (Paragraph
14). What Fuller thought made them so different and what she rejected the most; at the
end was what unified them in the same search and fight for a goal.
Fuller’s most influential and recognized work was the book Women in the
Nineteenth Century. This work is described in “Her Cause Against Herself": Margaret
Fuller, Emersonian Democracy, and the Nineteenth-Century Public Intellectual by AdamMax Tuschinsky, The basis for Fuller’s essay is the idea that man will rightfully inherit
the earth when he becomes an elevated being, understanding of divine love. There have
been periods in time when the world was more awake to this love, but people are sleeping
now; however, everyone has the power to become enlightened. Man cannot now find
perfection because he is still burdened with selfish desires, but Fuller is optimistic and
says that we are on the verge of a new awakening. She claims that in the past man, like
Orpheus for Eurydice, has always called out for woman, but soon will come the time
when women will call for men, when they will be equals and share divine love. America
has been hindered from reaching equality because it inherited depravity from Europe,
hence its treatment of Native and African Americans. Fuller quotes the ancient Medes on
how all people are equal and bound to each other; those who infringe on others’ rights are
condemned, but the biggest sin is hypocrisy. Man needs to practice divine love as well as
feel it. Among those who practice it are the abolitionists because they act on their love of
humanity; many women are part of this group. Fuller then begins to examine men and
women in America. She observes that many people think that in marriage, man is the
head of the house and woman the heart. Problems with the law derive from the problem
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of women being viewed as inferiors, equal to children but not men. The truth is that
women need expansion and seek to be like men; they need to be taught self-dependence
(Paragraphs 1-4). What’s clear is Fuller's argument for the spirituality of woman, the
"immortal being" that is being deprived of its "nature to grow as a soul to live freely and
unstoppable to unfold its powers that were given to her" by the creator. It is the
importance of this immortal soul, or rather, the inability of man to acknowledge its
importance, that Fuller sees as the cause of much of woman's suffering. Marriage,
considered compulsory for a woman, Fuller says in her book Women in the Nineteenth
Century in the published article On Women in the Nineteenth Century by Sillah
Mennunah, "if it be only to find a protector, and a home of her own," all too often
arranged for "convenience and utility" rather than as a "meeting of the souls" (258). Not
only does this "convenience" leave redundant the most sacred part of the woman; it also
deprives man of the spiritual bliss the complete woman would have been able to provide.
Unfortunately, himself "under the slavery of habit," man is too imperfect to realize what
he's missing.
Even along with their Emerson, Whitman, and Fuller, shared the same concept of
looking for the well-being of others. They all represented the Transcendentalism
movement in America, and an age that brought many changes. They had their distinctive
way of thinking, and proved to be unique, country caring, freedom-fighting Americans.
Fuller was one of the most important and influential writers of that time not only because
of her never ending fight for women’s rights, but also to the influences of Emerson and
Whitman. These three writers changed American literature and helped create freedom of
speech.