Overview of Transcendentalism

TranscendentalismTranscendentalism is the belief that to a have a whole spiritual connection.The opening of the mind to new ides and enlightenment, and uses this enlightenment as an inspiration.The writer must resist all other rules and goes with the sprit writing.A lot of the writing is based on nature in the belief that it has a symbolic meaning.

Social Conditions• Ralph Waldo Emerson wanted new culture for Americans ,but not only

that. He also wanted a rebirth in artistic culture, life, and intellectuality

• Some of the other thing that helped this movement was the temperance movement and the utopian communities.

• Temperance Movement: These groups emerged around this time period, and these groups were agenist the alchol prohabiton movement.

• Utopian communities: these were communities that believed in everything transcendentalism stood for. They wanted book to involve into nature and love of the arts.

Temperance movement

Utopian Communities

Political conditions• In 1940 the Democratic Party felt some platforms needed to be added.

One of the platforms focused on giving the government limited power so that the government can not become to powerful.

• There was also another movement by the Democratic Party in 1944. These movements during this time focused on getting gaining a lot of the Oregon territory for the United States to gain some land.

• The Liberty Party also helped out on slavery issues but then had no impact later on. In 1848 it was the Free-Soil Party that focused on getting slaves free from the south.

• After 1852 with the Whig Party, which did compete hard in the 1856 election but losing to the Republican Party, trying also to end slavery, the Republican Party held it for the rest of the year until 1860.

Democratic strategy.

Republican strategy

Religion conditions

People believed heavily in religion. The main religion was Puritans. They believed that you should just follow their religion and no one else’s.

Yet even in this entire problem, people still decided to switch over the transcendentalism. Transcendentalism was not a religion, but in a way was treated like it.

This made people consider it a religion, and focus only on nature and the good of the soul, and how nature can help cleanse it

You could either follow what you always known as a Puritan, or try something new and go down the path of the artistic vision of transcendentalism.

Puritanism

Transcendentalism

Artistic conditions• Visions in transcendentalism in all about nature, and the way it can

clean you and your spirit. Nature was everything when it came to artistic conditions in transcendentalism.

• There artistic visions were all over the place. Some people thought that they should focus on the woods, and all the animals in it. To show how clean and happy nature can be, without destruction throughout the society of the woods.

• Other artistic conditions choose to focus on very clam and open spaces. They choose to show this for calmness and the way nature can be calm and not always loud and so crowded the way many people live now throughout big cities

Not Transcendentalism Artistic stuff

Transcendentalism artistic vision

Important Authors• Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the three big authors is the

transcendentalism. Ralph was the center of the movement in transcendentalism.

• Another one of the big authors was Henery David Thoreau. Henry was a hard working author would want to craft out differences in his life. He followed his life behind his brother until his brother was the age of 25 and died. When this happened Henery became very interested in nature, which helps him with his brother’s death.

• The last very important author is (Sarah) Margaret Fuller. She was a very busy lady throughout her life mainly and hardly had time for writing at first. Then she became very successful after about five years, and even worked with Emerson on some of his works.

Transcendentalism Authors

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Henry David ThoreauMargaret Fuller

Important works• One of the most important authors was Henery David Thoreau (to

learn more about him go to important author of transcendentalism). He also created a lot of important work and writing for transcendentalism. One of the great examples is Cape Cod. This is one of Thoreau's happiest writing he wrote. It is focused on puns and tall tales.

• Another one of his writings would be was Civil Disobedience. This was a about the government and how controlling it was. His point was to say that civil disobedience is needed sometimes to help the government not become so controlling. Even to help society to realize that we have powers

• Finally one of his last writings is Thoreau's Correspondence. This was an unpublished volume of his letters. He was going to release them, but he never did. It was one of the last writing of transcendentalism that he ever did.

Cape Cod (Transcendentalism poem)My life is like a stroll upon the beach, As near the ocean’s edge as I can go; My tardy steps its waves sometimes o’erreach, Sometimes I stay to let them overflow. My sole employment is, and scrupulous care, To place my gains beyond the reach of tides, —

Each smoother pebble, and each shell more rare, Which Ocean kindly to my hand confides. I have but few companions on the shore: They scorn the strand who sail upon the sea; Yet oft I think the ocean they’ve sailed o’er Is deeper known upon the strand to me. The middle sea contains no crimson dulse, Its deeper waves cast up no pearls to view; Along the shore my hand is on its pulse, And I converse with many a shipwrecked crew.

Literature influence by transcendentalism

• Literature Influence through Transcendentalism was all through nature. Transcendentalism was focused on nature. This encouraged lot of writing to write about nature, and about how pure nature can be.

• Also it encouraged people to write about the countryside life, and how open and relaxed that life can be. It encouraged writing to write about how crowded we are now and how we need to improve out life. How we need to improve through not being so crowded and stop all the destruction we create.

• Also it influenced writing to talk about purifying out souls. It was one of the first literatures to break through the age of now writing. It was also one of the first to talk about souls and purifying. To take religion and put it in writing and people actually like it.

• Thank you for looking at this overview of Transcendentalism!

• If you want to learn any more information just look on the wiki

to go in depth.