Transcendentalism and Emerson 英语专业教学课件.pptVIP

New England Transcendentalism 1. It is the summit of American Romanticism. 2. Leaders: Emerson and Thoreau 3. Manifesto: Nature written by Ralph Waldo Emerson in 1836, which is regarded as the Bible of New England Transcendentalism. 4. Club: Transcendentalist Club 5. Journal: The Dial 6. Sources: German idealism, Transcendentalism, and American Puritanism. Transcendentalism It was a form of idealism, or philosophical Romanticism. It was a way of knowing the belief that man can intuitively transcend the limits of the senses and of logic and receive directly higher truth and greater knowledge denied to other methods of knowing ---was another form of a classic American value-individualism. In fact, it was also another form of the American Dream, the ability to succeed by one’s own efforts . It was an ethical guide to life for a young nation. Transcendentalist 1. the transcendentalists placed emphasis on spirit, or the oversoul , as the most important thing in the universe. 2. the transcendentalists stressed the importance of the individual. To them the individual was the most importance dement of society. 3. the transcendentalists offered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the spirit or God. “Go back to nature, sink yourself back into its influence and you’ll become spiritually whole again. Influence 1.New England Transcendentalism was important to American literature. 2.It inspired a whole new generation of famous authors as Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Whitman and Dickinson. 3.And it inspired one of America’s most prolific literary periods in its history. Life A. born in a clergyman’s family in New EnglandB. graduated from HarvardC. a Unitarian ministerD. abandoned Unitarianism and went to Europe searching for truthE. founded a Transcendentalists Club and published a journalF. traveled and gave lectures; quite influential Aesthetics a. In Emersons opinion, poets should function as preachers who gave directio