Rationalism Romanticism Transcendentalism 2012

7/30/2019 Rationalism Romanticism Transcendentalism 2012

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Honest Tea Video + Your Opinion

Are people inherently* good? Or inherently

evil? Why do you think so? (*naturally). Why

do you think so?


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WRITE THIS DOWN

Transcendentalism: belief that humans are

inherently good, perfectible, individual

Anti-transcendentalism: belief that humans

are inherently evil, cynical


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Rationalism Romanticism

TranscendentalismGoal:

Understand the Philosophies and American

Literary Movements of:1. Rationalists (1750-1800)

2. Romantics (1800-1850)

3. Transcendentalists (1850s)


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Reviewing the Time-line

1700-1750 Puritans value EMOTION

Think of the hysteria in The Crucible

1750-1800 Rationalists value REASON

(ie Age of Reason)

1800-1850 Romantics value EMOTION

1850s Transcendentalists


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Part 2

Rationalism: 1750-1800

Focused on a national mission, democratic Utopia,

and using reason.

Literature instilled patriotism & showed differences

between Americans & Europeans.

Declaration of Independence

Common Sense

Give me Liberty or Give Me Death Writers include: Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson,

Ben Franklin, John Locke, Thomas Paine


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Nature in the Age of Reason


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Nature in the Romantic Age


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Nature in

the

Romantic

Age


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Talk with your partner: Whats going

on in the Nation @ 1850?

Huge population growth: Expansion

WESTWARD

Growth of urban centersIndustrial

Revolution

Mexican-American War; Civil War

Defining a New Nation

American patriotism as individual from Britain

Desire for a national literature to glorify the

American land


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Romanticism

1800-1855

Focused on emotions

Emphasized imagination over reason & intuition

over fact

Literature could be interpreted on the surface or

at a deeper philosophical level

Writers include: Edgar Allan Poe (Gothicwriter), Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David

Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman


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Romantic Values and Beliefs

Fascination with nature Value individual freedom

(vs. Puritans)

Trust in human

imagination & intuition Truth found in spiritual,

not physical

Faith in child-like

innocenceAll humansinherently good

Transcendentalism (wellget to that)


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Part 3 With your partner:

Read the Quote in your Packet. What the ******* is this guy trying to say?

Make the best interpretation you can.


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Part 4

The two are very closely related, but

transcendentalism came on thescene in the 1850s

Transcendentalism is a

SUBGROUP of Romanticism


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Transcendentalist Philosophy

matters of God transcend human

experience

Reaction to DEISM (atheism) present in

Rationalists Age of Reason Wanted to create religious consciousness that would

exhibit freedom and democracy of the new nation


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Transcendentalism is

A belief system

A literary movement in the

US in the

Transcendentalism is NOT

A religion

Transcendentalists believe Transcendentalists do NOT

believe1. The individual is the spiritual

center of the universe2. The human spirit is reflected

in nature

3. By observing nature and our

feelings, we can find truth

4. In the goodness and

perfectibility of humans

4. A universal Over Soul

unites God, nature, and

humanity

In the norm or what society

says we should do

That humans should control

nature

We can find truth by using

reason and principles in every-dayexperiences

God has appointed us to gain

glory and wealthagainst

materialism


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In short

Humans = Nature = God


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In Short

Humans = Nature = God

Connected through Over-Soul:

all-encompassingpower for goodness

@ birth: get a piece to use as your moralcompass in life

@ death: your goodness goes back into Over-Soul

Eyeball Quote calls the Over-Soul theUniversal Being


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Anti-transcendentalism

Spiritual forces are NOT alwayspositive

Dark view of humanity Humans, underneath the surface,

are: Corrupt Insane

Evil


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The Romantic Artist

Is a prophet Can connect humans with the divine

Writes to provide a link to divine worldhence

heavy focus on symbolism, imaginationTRANSCENDENTALIST: Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman

ANTI-TRANSCENDENTALIST: Hawthorne, Poe, Whitman
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Ralph Waldo Emerson

1803-1882

Founder of AmericanTranscendentalist movement

Heavily influenced by the

philosopher Kant and British

Romantic poet Coleridge

Famous works: Nature (1836),

Essaysincluding Self

Reliance (1841)

A compelling speaker, trained

as a Unitarian minister Gave the speech at Thoreaus

funeral in 1862


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Henry David Thoreau

1817-1862

Befriended Emerson aftergraduating from Harvard

Very idealistic: thrown into jailfor not paying taxes, spoke outagainst slavery

Moved into the cabin atWalden Pond on July 4, 1845.Wanted to simplify his life byworking about six weeks peryear

Published Walden-- whichdetailed his experience at thecabin-- in 1854.

Rationalism Romanticism Transcendentalism 2012

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