Sample Student Research Project 2016: Journal
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