2. AMERICAN RENAISSANCE
INTRODUCTION
The American Renaissance is a period in American history from
the 1830’s through the end of the American Civil War. This
movement was characterized by a revitalization of a national identity
and self-confidence. It was the burgeoning of artistic creativity of all
time. Impacted by great, European literary works, many American
authors forged their writings through poems, novellas, and novels.
3. AMERICAN LITERATURE
Freedom from British rule
Creation of American philosophy, poetry, and other writing
Freedom from European literature
4. AMERICAN LITERATURE
Transcendentalism
• Creation of American literature in the form of new
philosophy, poetry, essays, and novels, uniquely
different from European literature.
5. HISTORY OF AMERICAN
LITERATURE
Transcendentalists
• Attempt to define spirituality and religion
• Romantic way of thinking
• Using the senses and nature
6. TRANSCENDENTAL
AUTHORS
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
“We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our
own hands; we will speak our own minds…A nation
of of men will for the first time exist because each
believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which
also inspires all men.”
7. EMERSON (CONT’D)
Nature published in 1836
The Dial magazine began its publication in 1840
Essays First and Second Series, 1841 & 1844
• Self-Reliance- Relationship with Nature and God
Poems (1847)
The Conduct of Life (1860)
8. TRANSCENDENTAL
AUTHORS
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that
if one advances confidently in the direction
of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life
which he has imagined, he will meet with a
success unexpected in common hours.”
9. THOREAU (CONT’D)
A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849)
Walden (1854)
Civil Disobedience (1849)
10. TRANSCENDENTAL
AUTHORS
Margaret Fuller (1810-1850)
“What woman needs is not as a women to act
or rule, but as a nature to grow, as an intellect
to discern, as a soul to live freely, and unimpeded
to unfold such powers as were given her
when we left our common home.”
11. FULLER (CONT’D)
Conversations (1839)
The Great Lawsuit: Man versus Men, Woman versus Women
(1843)
• Renamed Woman in the Nineteenth Century (1845)
Papers on Literature and Art (1846)
12. CONCLUSION
There were many writers during the American Renaissance Period
that paved the way of our literature. The authors discussed earlier
shaped the way literature was henceforth written. Free from
European influence, American writers created a new identity so
desperately sought after. It was this time that Americans felt their
voice could be heard. The American nation expressed itself with a
uniqueness that Americans could finally identify with.
13. REFERENCES
Baym, N., Franklin, W., Gura, P., Klinkowitz, J., Krupat, A., Levine,
R.S., Loeffelholz, M., Reesman, J.C., Wallace, P. B., (2008). The Norton
Anthology of American Literature: Shorter (7th ed.). W. W. Norton &
Company: New York.
Margaret fuller.biography. (2012). Retrieved from
http://www.biography.com/people/margaret-fuller-9303889
Woodlief, A. (2004). American transcendentalism web. Retrieved from
http://transcendentalism.tamu.edu/authors/emerson/
Notes de l'éditeur
This period was marked by a theme known as the American Romantic Period. Although American literature was in full swing, works of authors such as Longfellow and Lowell, were expressions of American life and experiences. However, their writings were attempts to enmesh those experiences into the European mold. The American Renaissance is the rebirth of American literature.
The writers of American literature gave way to Transcendentalism. More specifically, this was a group of highly educated, mostly New Englanders, that after decades of freedom from England, longed for literary independence. This was the time to sever the umbilical cord from European influence.
The writers courageous enough to develop a new type of literature were the pioneers of American literature as we know it. Transcendentalism was the central theme of the American Romantic Period.
American authors during this time, had a new way of writing, using the human senses, in a more romantic way. The writing was less rational and more intuitive.
One of the most influential American authors was Ralph Waldo Emerson. Known as an American essayist, lecturer, and poet, Emerson was the pioneer of the transcendental movement. He was also the center of the American Renaissance. Emerson believed there was a link between the individual soul and the universal soul. Discovering eternal truth through transcendence of the materialistic world was Emerson’s philosophy. His doctrine of self-reliance coupled with transcendentalism was the perfect backdrop of the American nation.
Emerson’s first book, Nature, was his best expression of transcendentalism. Along with other authors, The Dial magazine was the first transcendentalist journal to be published. Another of his well known works was Essays, First and Second series. Included in the first series was his most famous essay, “Self-Reliance”. This essay was about examining one’s relationship with Nature and God and trust his own judgment. “The Conduct of Life” inspired many writers as a source of influence and was considered a mature work and the most successful publication.
Thoreau was a friend and protégé’of Emerson. He became one of the leading transcendentalists. He wrote famously of natural history and philosophy.
Henry David Thoreau declared that people should cease the materialistic ways of life and embrace one of nature and earth. Among his many works, Thoreau’s first book, “A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers” was a dedication to his deceased brother, John. It was an artistic unity about his life experiences and departures from religion, poetry, and history. “Walden” was also a book of Thoreau’s experiences of living in a cabin near Walden Pond over the course of two years, incidentally owned by Emerson. “Civil Disobedience” was the subject of a night in jail. Thoreau contended that the general public should not allow the government to be in control of their very being. Further, the people have a responsibility to steer clear of such injustice.
Margaret Fuller was a feminist, literary critic, and writer. She was a part of the transcendental movement, intermingling with intellectuals such as Ralph Waldo Emerson. She co-founded The Dial in which she wrote “The Great Lawsuit: Man versus Men, Woman versus Women” in serial publications. Fuller’s life parallels her work in literature. In her works, Fuller exemplified that she was competent to write books during a time when women were denied a college education.
In her discussions, “Conversations”, Fuller spoke to women who had no access to higher education. The women learned subjects such as history, mythology, literature, fine arts and nature. She was a staunch advocate for women’s rights, in particular, women’s education. Upon writing “The Great Lawsuit: Man versus Men, Woman versus Women” for The Dial, Fuller was recognized and encouraged by publisher, Horace Greeley, to rewrite her work in full-length. She completed the full-length version and renamed it “Woman in the Nineteenth Century”. This work of literature incorporated transcendental ideology and included women in the order of mankind. She also alludes, in the book, that women are comparable to slaves, as she was a strong abolitionist. “Papers on Literature and Art” was a compilation of her own critiques, essays, and reviews.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson so boldly declared, it was time for Americans to break free from the shackles of European influence. It was time to break free and transcend from the utilitarian, political, and spiritual writings of Europe. The American culture was hungry for creativity, innovation, and self-expression. As literacy rose in America, the written word became formidable. The publishing industry was maturing, forging American writers the ability to express their hearts and minds.
