Transcendentalism4.7.pptVIP

Transcendentalism Transcendentalism Historical background Sources of the rise of Transcendentalism Features of Transcendentalism Literary representatives of Transcendentalism Historical background A broad, philosophical movement in New England during the Romantic era（peak：1836-1855）; the first American intellectual movement. Started by a group of people in the Transcendental Club in the 1830s who published their views in the journal The Dial Sources of the rise of Transcendentalism Unitarianism（唯一神论） The idealistic philosophy from France and Germany Oriental mysticism such as Hinduism and philosophy of the Chinese Confucius and Mencius; 4. American Puritan tradition Features of Transcendentalism Spirit\ Oversoul Importance of individualism Nature- symbol of spirit/God garment of the oversoul focus on intuition (irrationalism and subconsciousness) weakness 1. was never a systematic philosophy. It borrowed from many sources and reconciled few of them. 2.Whenever the demand of logic became too insistent, it turned to mysticism. Oversoul is a unitary power of goodness， omnipresent and omnipotent，from which all things came and of which everyone was a part。 Literary representatives of Transcendentalism Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803--1882) 拉尔夫.瓦尔多.爱默生 Henry David Thoreau (1817--1862) 亨利.大卫.梭罗 His Life His Works Comment on him Ralfph Waldo Emerson (1803--1882) His life Descendant of New England clergymen Experienced “genteel poverty” as a child Went to Harvard, reconsider Calvinist belief, embraced Unitarianism Became a Unitarian minister to the Second church of Boston Left his job to Europe and brought back European Romanticism Formed Transcendentalist Club and its journal “The Dial”, became spokesman of New England Transcendentalism “preach” in the lecture-room instead of at the pulpit Traveled around and spread his transcendentalism Nature 《论自然》 The Poet 《论诗人》 The American Scholar 《美国学者》 -