The Transcendentalists

Transcendentalism was a theological, philosophical, political, and literary school of thought in the early to mid-1800s in New England.

Originated from the “liberal New England Congregationalists” who eventually became known as Unitarians, Transcendentalism was inspired by German Romanticism, The Vedas (Indian Scriptures), and philosophers such Immanuel Kant and Georg Wilhelm Frederic Hegel, as well as the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Transcendentalists believed in having respect for nature, self-sufficiency, and opposing materialism. They espoused the divinity in all nature and humanity as well as the belief knowledge of God is personal, that there is no need for an intermediary such as a priest.  

Prominent People

Ralph Waldo Emerson

LITERATURE - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Ralph Waldo Emerson lived from 1803 to 1882 and was a poet, essayist, philosopher, and leader in the Transcendentalist movement. He authored several influential, Transcendentalist literary works, including Nature, the famous essay “Self-Reliance”, The American Scholar, and The Divinity School Address. He served as a minister for a few years, until his first wife died and he felt unable to administer the sacrament of the Lord's Supper. After Emerson left the ministry, he traveled to Europe. Upon his return to New England, Emerson became well known for challenging traditional thought impacted greatly by the friends he made in Europe.  

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau

Born in 1817 in Concord MA, Henry David Thoreau is an author, poet, and essayist who was one of the leaders of Transcendentalism, along with his friend and mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson. After graduating from Harvard, Thoreau worked as a teacher for a time, even starting and running his own school from 1838 to 1941. He is perhaps most well known for spending two years, two months, and two days in a little house on the shores of Concord’s Walden Pond, where he wrote his now-famous book, Walden. Thoreau is also known for writings such as A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, and “Civil Disobedience”. Later in his life, Thoreau became an active and outspoken abolitionist, he even worked as a conductor on the Underground Railroad, helping slaves find freedom in Canada.

Margaret Fuller

Margaret Fuller

Margaret Fuller lived from 1810 to 1850. She worked as an editor for the Transcendentalist journal, The Dial and was the first full-time female book reviewer. She maintained close friendships with many famous members of the Transcendentalist movement. Her most famous and influential work was Women in the Nineteenth Century, regarded as the first feminist work to be produced in the US.

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman was one of the many journalists, poets, and essayists included in transcendentalism. Born on Long Island on May 31, 1819, his work just started as an office boy in his young age. After working many jobs, such as printing and teaching, he finally settled to writing. He began as a novelist, but after his efforts and not receiving "the usual rewards" he took up poetry.  He worked for 33 years on a piece called "Leaves of Grass" which became a well-known piece of work in history.

Louisa May Alcott

Louisa May Alcott lived from 1832 to 1888. She was an American novelist and poet best known as the author of "Little Women". Raised by her transcendentalist parents, Abigail May and Amos Bronson Alcott in New England, she also grew up among many of the well-known intellectuals of the day such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thoreau, and Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.

Other notable Transcendentalists include Theodore Parker and Frederic Henry Hedge.

Notable Works

Self-Reliance by Ralph Waldo Emerson^[6]

In his essay, Self-Reliance, Emerson asserts the importance of thinking for oneself rather than passively accepting other people’s ideas and opinions. He further promotes individual experience over the knowledge gained from books. He insists people learn how to think for themselves. From the very beginning, the idea of free thinking is evident: “A man should learn to detect and watch that gleam of light which flashes across his mind from within, more than the lustre of the firmament of bards and sages” (Emerson, 1:7-8). Emerson portrays how one should understand how to listen to themselves rather than being influenced by others, supporting the idea of individuality. Emerson strongly believes that individuality is necessary in order to express yourself in a true way. One is wasting away energy if he is complying to “communities of opinion” (Emerson, 10:11). This obedience to conformity distracts us from contributing our unique ideas to society. Therefore, it is indeed necessary to break out of the conformities, at times, to really be able to express your true self and discover your individuality and potential.^[6]

Song of Myself by Walt Whitman^[7]

His poem, Song of Myself, is nothing but egotistic. Whitman emphasizes on two main points: his individuality within himself and his individuality universalized. While there are many transcendentalist ideologies throughout the long poem, Whitman really breaks the societal norms of writing by expressing his ideas without a regular form, meter, or rhythm. The deficiency of the basic elements of poetry added that the idea of uniqueness he wanted to convey. This aligns with the transcendentalism's core fundamentals of discovering your own individuality by stepping out of the conformities set by society, in this scenario, the conformities set by writers and poets.^[7]

The Dial

Published from 1840-1844, The Dial was the sole journal created and run by the New England Transcendentalist as a group. A total of four volumes, The Dial consisted of poetry, prose, alongside literary and musical criticism.  Inspired by the likes of The Monthly Magazine in Britain, and The Western Messenger in America, The Dial differed from its peer, the Boston Quarterly Review in that it was not associated with any political party. Originally edited by Margaret Fuller, The Dial published the work of over 40 poets and authors, including 23 of Henry David Thoreau’s essays and poems. After it stopped publishing in 1844, there were attempts to revive the publication of the journal in 1860 and 1880-1929. 

The Transcendental Club

The club was formed by four Harvard alumni. They were Frederic Henry Dodge, Ralph Waldo Emerson, George Ripley, and George Putnam. The four men were at the celebration of the bicentennial of Harvard. They left the celebration to meet at the Willard's Hotel in Cambridge. The original reason of meeting was to talk about the state of Unitarianism, and what they could do about it. They were able to meet again after the initial meeting. They would then meet again around thirty times. In span of four years. The men had one rule when attending a meeting which was to not disturb or inhibit the group from talking about a certain topic. These members included Unitarian ministers, intellectuals, writers, and reformers.

Bibliography

6. Emerson, Ralph W. "Self-Reliance." https://emersoncentral.com/texts/essays-first-series/self-reliance

7. Whitman, W. "Song of Myself." https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/51786/song-of-myself-35