美国文学Transcendentalism

Transcendentalismcontent•Time:1830s---theoutbreakoftheCivilWar,thesummitoftheAmericanRomanticism.•Definition•MajorDoctrines•Leadingfigures•Theimportance:itinspiredawholenewgenerationoffamousauthorsandpushedtheAmericanliteratureintoaflourishingperiod.WhatisTranscendentalism?•ThepublicationofNature(1836)markedthebeginningofNewEnglandTranscendentalism,thesummitofAmericanRomanticism.•“WhatispopularlycalledTranscendentalismamongusisidealism;idealismasappearsin1842”(Emerson)•Knowledgecanbeobtainedthroughmentalprocess,apartfromexperiencesDoctrinesofTranscendentalism•1)Themostimportantthingintheuniverseisspirit,ortheOversoul.Compare:●the18thcenturyNewtonianconcept●mechanizationandcommercializationoflife;●crazeformonetarysuccessandmaterialpossession,neglectofspiritualimprovement•2)TheTranscendentalistsstresstheimportanceoftheindividual.•“Theworldisnothing,themanisall”;Compare:●TheCalvinistconceptofman●Thedehumanizationofmanintheprocessofindustrialization•3)natureassymbolicofGod.NatureisthegarmentoftheOversoul.•“theatmospherewasmade…togivemantheperpetualpresenceofthesublime…theremembranceofthecityofGod”Compare:the18thcenturyviewaboutnature---Naturewaspurelymadeupofmatter.Itwasoperatingaccordingtonaturallaw.Emerson•BorninBostontoaclericaltradition;•Harvard(1817)•AUnitarianminister(1826)•travelaroundEurope(1832)•Nature(1836)•Diedin1882Emerson'sWorks•Nature,theBibleofTranscendentalism•“TheAmericanScholar”,regardedas“DeclarationofIntellectualIndependence”•“ThePoet”,thejobofapoettobetheseer,thesayerandthenamer•“Self-Reliance”,theimportanceofcultivatingoneself•“EachandAll”,apoemincelebrationofthewholeness.“Eachispartofall,andallisineach.”RalphWaldoEmerson(1803-1882)BackgroundsfortheRiseofTranscendentalism•GermanandFrenchidealism（唯心主义）,originatingfromKant(1724—1804)andThomasCarlyle,believingthatideasarethemostimportantthingandthatwhichwecanknowanythingof.•Frencheclecticism（折衷主义）,especiallythatofCousin（古沾,1792—1867）,advocatingtheabsorptionofvarioussourcesandideas.•Orientalmysticism（神秘主义）,representedbyHinduworks,thoseofConfuciusandMencius.•AmericanPuritanism,arguingthattheknowledgeofGodandtruthcanbeobtainedonlythroughmeditationorspiritualinsight.Emerson’sTranscendentalistViews•1)hisdoctrineoftheOversoul:“Philosophicallyconsidered,theuniverseiscomposedofNatureandtheSoul…allothermenandmyownbody,mustberankedunderthisname:NATURE”.Standingonthebareground,myheadbathedbytheblitheairandupliftedspace,allmeanegotismvanishes.Ibecomeatransparenteyeball;Iamnothing;Iseeall;thecurrentsoftheUniversalBeingcirculatethroughme;IampartorparticleofGod•2)ideasabouttheinfinitudeofmanandhumanperfectibility.•QuotationsfromSelf-Reliance•Whosowouldbeamanmustbeanonconformist.•WhatImustdoisallthatconcernsme,notwhatthepeoplethink.•Trustthyself:everyheartvibratestothatironstring.•3)NatureassymbolicofGod.•Natureisthevehicleofthoughtorthesymbolofspirit•“Theloverofnatureishewhoseinwardandoutwardsensesarestilltrulyadjustedtoeachother;whohasremainedthespiritofinfancyevenintotheeraofmanhood.”(Nature)Emerson’sAesthetics•Poetasacompleteman,aneternalman•goodpoetryandtrueartshouldteach,serveasamoralpurification.•Emphasizingideas,symbolsandimaginativewords.•AdvocatingthatAmericanwritersshouldwriteaboutAmericahereandnow.Americaitselfisalongpoemthatisworthyofcelebrating.Emerson’simportanceintheintellectualhistoryofAmerica•Hiscallforanindependentculturerepresentedthedesireofthewholenationtodevelopacultureofitsown.•HisaestheticsmarkedthebirthoftrueAmericanpoetry.•Hisreputationdeclinedsomewhatinrecentyearsbecauseofthecheerfuloptimismimpregnatedinhisworks.•“Ourlongapprenticeshiptothelearningofotherlandsdrawstoaclose.Themillionsthataroundusarerushingintolifecannotalwaysbefedonthesereremainsofforeignharvests…wewillwalkonourownfeet;wewillworkwithourownhands;wewillspeakourownminds.”__TheAmericanScholarWhenitisdarkenough,youcanseethestars.Menarerespectableonlyastheyrespect.Bigjobsusuallygotothemenwhoprovetheirabilitytooutgrowsmallones.Thoughwetraveltheworldovertofindthebeautiful,wemustcarryitwithusorwefinditnot.Ihatequotations.Tellmewhatyouknow.HenryDavidThoreau(1817-1862)•“Simplify,simplify.Insteadofthreemealsaday,ifitbenecessaryeatbutone;insteadofahundreddishes,five;andreduceotherthingsinproportion.”_________WaldenBorninConcord1817;Harvard(1833-1837);aloneinWaldenPond(July4th,1845-Sep.1847);diedinpneumoniain1862.AWeekontheConcordandMerrimackRivers(1849)Walden;or,LifeintheWoods(1854)“CivilDisobedience”“APleaforJohnBrown”WaldenWalden(1)•afaithfulrecordofhisreflectionswhenhewasinsolitarycommunionwithnatureforthreepurposes:tomakethereadersevaluatethewayhelivedandthought;torevealthespiritualpossibilitiesineveryone’slife;tocondemntheweaknessesanderrorsofsocietysuchasthepursuitofmaterialthings.•“…IwenttothewoodsbecauseIwishedtolivedeliberately,tofrontonlytheessentialfactsoflife…Ididnotwishtolivewhatwasnotlife,livingissodear;nordidIwishtopractiseresignation,unlessitwasquitenecessary.Iwantedtolivedeepandsuckoutallthemarrowoflife…”___WaldenWalden(2)•abookofself-cultureandhumanperfectibi