Transcendental and Anti Transcendental Movements

A detailed Summary of Transcendental and Anti Transcendental Movements

During the New England Renaissance period of 1840-1855, literature underwent two very

distinct movements known as Transcendentalism and Anti-Transcendentalism. Both movements

were very influential and consisted of authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson (Transcendentalist)

and Nathaniel Hawthorne (Anti-Transcendentalist). Concentrating their ideas on human nature

and intuition, rather than on logic and reason, both these movements served as a flourishing revolt

The Transcendental movement focused its ideas on the essential unity of creation, the pure

goodness of humanity and in individual intuition as the highest source of knowledge, rather than

sensory experience. Optimism dominated people's thoughts and was shown in the ideas of the

Transcendentalists. The Transcendentalists believed deeply in human potential and in the purity of

Nature. Truth, they believed, was also reflected in Nature and how it made you feel, and Nature

was a reflection of the beauty of human nature. They focused on the possibilities of the human

spirit and the capability of it reaching t

Both the Transcendental and Anti-Transcendental movements, influenced literature

side. For Anti-Transcendentalists, Nature reflected all that was paradoxical and unexplainable.

For the Earth, too, had on her Black Veil." Nature, as believed by the Anti-Transcendentalists,

disturbing. "The subject (referring to minister) had bad reference to secret sin, and these sad

nature, and none but he knows what that is which he can do, nor does he know until he has tried."

greatly. The authors during the movements concentrated on reflecting the ideas (of the

involved his own spirit in the horror with which overwhelmed all others. His frame shuddered, his

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Category: Miscellaneous

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