LITR 4328 American Renaissance / Model Assignments

Sample Student Research Project 2016:
Journal

Jackie Rodriguez

Transcendentalism at its Roots

          I was exposed to Emerson and Thoreau in high school when we read Walden. However, our teacher did not go beyond telling us as a class that it was a Transcendentalist work. Perhaps she underestimated the ability of my eleventh grade class to process what exactly that meant. This has caused me to come to college with no real understanding of what Transcendentalism is. I had no preconceived notions or misconceptions; it felt as though I had nothing in my brain bank in regards to this movement. So, as I went through my college courses I was introduced to many things, one of them being Romantic poetry. Having never liked poetry in the past, I was invigorated by finding that I not only understood, but liked and dare I say connected with “To a Skylark” by Percy Shelley. This nature-based Romantic poetry led me somewhere nearTranscendentalist poetry, which I got a better look at this semester.

Originally I thought that I was connecting with the nature imagery of Romantic poetry, but upon further analysis and exposure, I found that it had something to do with the idea of a higher power, higher knowledge, and connecting with what is out there. While I was not positive what it was that I loved about theTranscendental literature I was being exposed to, I know that I was compelled to find more in my free time. Now in American Renaissance I am finding that Romanticism and Transcendentalism are in some ways similar, I am finding that I favor Transcendentalism more. Therefore, as my journal submission I would like to delve deeper into the subject and see where it takes me. I specifically am curious about where the movement came from and how it was received. My goal with this research is to find out the key elements of Transcendentalism that I like and find other authors besides Emerson to read in order to stay connected with this movement of literature that inspires me on a personal level.

Transcendentalism (origin story) v. Romanticism

I found that first and foremost I wanted to know what the difference between Transcendentalism and Romanticism really were. In my research I found that there was not a lot of people doing direct comparisons between the two. In order to make up my mind I was forced to research first one and then the other. What I found that they had in common was that many sources stated they stemmed from Calvinism as well as Unitarianism. Unitarianism seems to hold similar values and ways of thinking as some of its published ministers wrote work that furthered the things that Emerson said in his work. I have found that one of the things that draws me toward Transcendentalism is that you must think of it as an ideal or philosophy. My findings from reading Transcendentalists work as well as my research is that it “rested on the premise of a unifying Transcendent or spiritual energy that generated all reality and held it in unity” (Bickman,1173). Finding this, I was taken back because as we talk about many things in our literature course, on occasion the Bible, I somehow never thought of Transcendentalism as a religious way of thinking at all, although looking back it does make sense. I feel as though this might be an antiquated religion if it ever was truly a religion. I feel like religion has progressed in so many ways I would be interested to know if others understood that this literature speaks to their religion directly, as in that they align themselves spiritually with this philosophy without realizing it.

It seems that just like all new ways of thinking, the Transcendentalist movement was somewhat controversial in its emergence. Interestingly enough it was seen as a liberal way of thinking in its time. In my research I found that in short, self-cultivation was a huge goal for Transcendentalists and that some of its writers were able to use this idea to “bolster” women’s rights. I find myself falling more in love with this movement as I researched it further. This also helped writers bring up the idea that men and women do not have to fit into societal schemas; for example, masculinity and femininity might be more flexible than society lets us believe. These are all still current events and things we are working with now. Religion, human rights and society's views will never go away, which might be a big reason that we still talk about this movement, and read the things produced during its time. Now to wrap up my findings on Romanticism in comparison to Transcendentalism.

Transcendentalism in my own words is more concerned with self-cultivation, with understanding that God is somewhat within you, and yet there is a spiritual energy that keeps reality in place.

Romanticism in my own words is more concerned with a quest and nostalgia, although there is a spiritual connection it seems to be more so a connection with nature. Youth and innocence is something to be missed and lastly to be anywhere other than the here and now is a Romantic's wish. Romanticism has a bigger focus on good and evil than I have found Transcendentalism to have.

Bickman, Martin. "Transcendentalism." The American Renaissance in New England: Second Series, edited by Wesley T. Mott, Gale, 2000. Dictionary of Literary Biography Vol. 223. Literature Resource Center, libproxy.uhcl.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GLS&sw=w&u=txshracd2589&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CH1220000827&asid=8a52871376a696833681c3491671bde9. Accessed 15 Nov. 2016. 

Robinson, David M. "Romanticism." American History Through Literature 1820-1870, edited by Janet Gabler-Hover and Robert Sattelmeyer, vol. 3, Charles Scribner's Sons, 2006, pp. 1000-1007. Gale Virtual Reference Library, libproxy.uhcl.edu/login?url=http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?p=GLS&sw=w&u=txshracd2589&v=2.1&it=r&id=GALE%7CCX3450700216&asid=80dbe9fe83d4afaa3feae1ebd375453b. Accessed 15 Nov. 2016.

Transcendental Forms

          This is something we spoke briefly about in class, while I think using the metaphor or symbol of the spiral was supposed to make the whole idea easier for us to understand I felt myself only barely able to grasp the idea because for so long I did not understand what the shapes were supposed to represent. So, I made this my next intellectual quest and I found that you have to look at the symbols and synthesize one at a time and then together. Now having read more work and research, knowing it’s more about it in general I am able to understand that Transcendentalism is about the elevation of thought. The shapes seem to represent the mind and give a visual representation of the way that knowledge and the spirit work. It seems like something that is unattainable and reminds me of nirvana. Not the band but the idea that comes from meditation. It gives the person something to aspire to and a way to understand the world around them.

           I did not find a whole lot on the Transcendental form but my search did lead me to finding out who outside of the literary community the movement inspired.  Keeping in mind that Transcendentalism is also an ideal, it is something that inspired philosophers, for example Immanuel Kant. Kant formed a theory in philosophy by the name of the Transcendental idealism and it deals with the way that Kant thinks people analyze both idealism and empiricism. This article also offers that there is such a thing as Transcendental idealism and Transcendental realism. The latter considers space, time and objects to be independent of human perception. I understood this to mean that his Transcendental idealism says that a person can have intuition about something, basically giving it meaning without having to experience it and that meaning can vary person to person because it is almost subjective to the person’s perception. While realism sort of finds things to be real the way they are and does not allow it to be subjective to a person’s perception. While it seems that Kant was not the only philosopher to be inspired by Transcendentalism I find that It is a bit complicated for me and like the forms I may have to sit on this information and come back to it when I have learned more and am able to process the material more productively.  I was, however, able to comprehend the idea of the forms we were given in class after my research progressed; therefore my goal was attained.

"Transcendental Idealism." Transcendental Idealism - New World Encyclopedia. N.p., 15 Dec. 2015. Web. 01 Nov. 2016.

Correspondence

          In my research I found that correspondence was theory that was brought to life by Emerson. I did not find a whole lot of information on this subject; however, what I did find all referred to it as Emerson’s theory of correspondence. I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of what correspondence was, and then I read a line that stated that correspondence was a way to relate the natural to the spiritual. This I feel is an accurate account of what is happening when a writer chose to use correspondence. I originally thought of correspondence as a way for a writer to set the mood, and I found reverse correspondence to be a cool way to play with something that is already helpful. Having done research, I am seeing that Transcendentalism is more of a spiritual experience and this knowledge gives new power to the act of correspondence. At first I was thinking of it as a mirror; I felt it was a way to reflect how characters or narrators were feeling in a physical manner, as in with the weather.

 However, now I am starting to see it as an actual correspondence; I feel like the spiritual side of emotion and everything that is so abstract is being materialized in the visual or tangible. For example, if a character is feeling turmoil the author might describe the winter day as dreary and cold, as opposed to noticing the positive points of the scene. Thus he is able to reflect the negative feelings inside with the negative scene outside. Of course this is a very basic example, but the important thing that I am trying to convey is that it is not just a writer’s trick. It is not supposed to feel cheap. If done well, it is supposed to feel like a release of emotion, as if finally, there is a way for someone to understand what the character is feeling. In my opinion I have found correspondence to be a way to understand the spiritual aspects of the world while the spirit and nature are in a true correspondence with one another.

Dennis, Carl. “Correspondence in Very's Nature Poetry.” The New England Quarterly, vol. 43, no. 2, 1970, pp. 250–273. www.jstor.org/stable/363244.

Key Writers

In working on this paper I was hoping to find some other writers to get to know, that would help me connect to Transcendentalism since there is so much about it that I connect with on a personal level. I feel like in order to be a well-read fan of Transcendentalism there you have to read Emerson so here is what I learned about him that I was not aware of before my research

Ralph Waldo Emerson I found that he was born in 1803 and although he attended Harvard, he was a Unitarian minister. Aside from his writings he apparently did many lectures on many subjects. Some of his great works that I will be on the lookout for include some of his individual essays like “Self-Reliance”, Nature and I intend to pick up a book of his poetry, as he wrote both.

          Henry David Thoreau born 1817 was greatly inspired by Emerson and maybe it is common knowledge but I found it very neat that he also went to Harvard; in fact, that is where he read Nature and was inspired by it. One of the jobs Henry held was as a pencil maker. My experience with Thoreau was only with Walden and I do not know why, but I had always thought he wrote it with Emerson. It was apparently Emerson’s land that he went to live on. I find that to be really beautiful in a sense, to be so inspired you must go where they have been. I also did not know that it was also largely about a trip with his brother. When reading these classic works we are not always informed of the reception, I found it interesting that according to my research, there was not a large market for this book and he was forced to go back to pencil-making and lectures.

          Margaret Fuller is a new name for me, but she was born in 1810. I recognize her name from my research in which women’s rights were bolstered. This is because she worked at the Dial as an editor with Emerson making her a close friend of his. She was able to speak German and Italian and thus she is known also for translating Goethe. It seems she intentionally wrote for women such as her work Woman in the Nineteenth Century which is named as a classic feminist title. She was involved in the Italian revolution as well and she was drowned at sea. I find this very fitting as many famous female authors die in this manner.

          Louisa May Alcott was apparently raised by Transcendentalist parents; she was an American author who had her first poem published in 1851. She lived in a utopian commune which I find fascinating. She apparently wrote about her experience there in a text titled Transcendental Wild Oats, which is listed a satire. She is famous for many of her other writings such as Little Women, I was unable to find much on how she contributed as a Transcendentalist but all of my research finds her to be one so I most likely must analyze her texts myself to make my decision. While we have come across her in class I feel more compelled to read “Little Women” It has been on my reading list for a long time. Reading about her and how she attempted to immortalize her sister with that text, I feel like reading it with that knowledge might make it a little more meaningful. I also feel like that is the goal of most writers, and so I am touched by the notion and I really feel like I want to do my part and read it. It is a weird thing to think about but I feel like she deserves to have her story read. Of course if I do not like it, Lizzy still lives on in my distaste.

"Authors-Texts-Transcendentalism." Authors -- Texts--Transcendentalism. American Transcendentalism Web, n.d. Web. 29 Oct. 2016.

Conclusion

          When I began my research I simply wanted to understand more about a style of literature that I found compelling. I feel as though I have reached my goal. I now understand that when people say that Transcendentalism was a movement, they did not mean that all of the sudden people began writing in a specific style. This came from people using their brain and processing religious rhetoric. Some people thought liberally and wanted to think of God in another way. I realize now that while I am reading about the spiritual implications the Transcendentalist writers are trying to help me see, I should be experiencing them. I realize that correspondence is not just a cute name it is what helps readers experience a spiritual understanding of the text. Transcendentalism is very much about reaching a higher plane of thought and Transcending the laws of man. I feel truly as though I am on a path to enlightenment, in the sense that now I am more prepared to synthesize the material the way it is intended. I will be able to accurately question or agree with what I am reading. I feel as though a lot of my findings were much deeper than what I was exposed to in class, which means that my findings have been fruitful.

          Ultimately I wanted to help myself understand why I was drawn to this type of writing, and now I understand. As a person who is on the opposite end of the spectrum with religion, that does not mean that I am not looking for a spiritual connection. On the contrary, it also means that I am accustomed to questioning much of what man has put before me, so without getting too personal, I understand that I recognized something that speaks to its readers on more than a cosmetic level as it is something that causes the reader to do introspective thinking. This literature forces its readers to strive for a better understanding of the world around them. I value knowledge and seek to grow therefore I enjoy the Transcendental literature and the challenge it presents. I am now more knowledgably ably to find other writers who have been inspired by this movement and the work produced during its time. I am proud to see the women’s movement doing what it can in this time and finally I am looking forward to furthering my knowledge as I know this is a subject I will not be able to drop easily.


"Great Star" flag of pre-Civil War USA