Romanticism and Transcendentalism: Key Concepts and Authors

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Romanticism: A school of thought that valued feeling and intuition over reason. It first emerged in Germany in the 18th century. Romantics believed that the imagination could apprehend truths, usually accompanied by powerful emotion and associated with natural, unspoiled beauty. To the Romantic sensibility, the imagination, spontaneity, individual feelings, and wild nature were of greater value than reason, logic, planning, and cultivation. To the Romantic mind, poetry was the highest and most sublime embodiment of the imagination. Romanticism emphasized feeling and intuition over reason, sought wisdom in natural beauty, and valued poetry above all other works of the imagination.

American Romanticism took two paths. One led to the exploration of the past and of exotic, even supernatural, realms. Two led to the contemplation of the natural world.
Transcendentalism: An intellectual movement of the mid-1800s that emphasized the individual and living a simple life. The Transcendentalists, led by Emerson, wanted to transcend the limitations of the senses and everyday experiences. Key tenets include:
  1. Faith in the inherent goodness of people.
  2. Belief that people, nature, and God are interconnected.
  3. Stress on individualism and self-reliance.
  4. Belief that intuition can lead to knowledge.
  5. Celebration of emotions and the imagination.
Authors:
  1. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow — Poems: "A Psalm of Life," "The Tide Rises, the Tide Falls," "The Cross of Snow," "The Children's Hour." (Thoughts about how to live a purposeful life.) Neoclassical Line.
  2. Ralph Waldo Emerson: — Essays: "Self-Reliance," "Nature." (Sums up the essence of ideas expressed in his essays and lectures). Studied at Harvard. He formed the Transcendental Club with a group of friends that included Henry David Thoreau.
  3. Henry David Thoreau: — Essay: "Walden." (Nonconformist) Studied at Harvard. Joined the Transcendental Club. Essential living: living simply, studied the natural world, and seeking truth within himself.
  4. Oliver Wendell Holmes: — Poem: "The Chambered Nautilus." Worked as a teacher at Harvard until his death in 1894.
  5. Nathaniel Hawthorne: — Short Story: "The Minister's Black Veil."

Vocabulary:

  • iniquity: wickedness
  • ostentatious: loud, overdone
  • imbued: deeply influenced
  • portend: to serve as an omen
  • tremulous: trembling
  • preternatural: supernatural
  • ambiguity: unclearness
  • zealous: eager and enthusiastic
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19th Century Literature Poetry Essays American Literature Romanticism Ralph Waldo Emerson Nathaniel Hawthorne Oliver Wendell Holmes Henry David Thoreau Nature Transcendentalism Literary Movements Individualism Henry Wadsworth Longfellow