Transcendentialism

American Romanticism (1600-1800)

  • When America was formed, people conformed to religion and being rational

  • The US hasn’t created a personal identity through things such as religion

    • Such people conforming to so called rationalist

Transcendentalists

  • A new generation of writers, called themselves Romantics and Transcendentalists, took it upon themselves to create American Culture

    • They valued intuition, imagination, individualism, innocence, idealism, and inspiration from nature

      1. Intuition: Instinct

      2. Imagination: Ability to create ideas

      3. Individualism: Being independent

      4. Innocence: being pure

      5. Idealism: Reach for a perfect outcome

2 Types of Romantic (Transcendental and Dark)

The Transcendental Romantics and the Dark Romantics differ in their approach to nature and the human experience, with Transcendentalists emphasizing optimism and the inherent goodness of people, while Dark Romantics often explore the darker aspects of the human psyche and the complexities of existence.

Dark Romantics

  • Did not agree with the optimism of the transcendentalists

  • They balanced their views on good and evil

  • Looked at the effect of guilt and sin in the mind, body, and soul

  • Behind the masks of polite society they saw the horror of evil

  • An example of this can be Edgar Allen Poe

BOTH Groups value feeling over reason