Name : Anjali M. Rathod
Enrollment no. : 4069206420220024
Roll no. : 02
Batch : M.A. Sem. 2 (2022-24)
Subject Code : 22401
Paper no. : 108 - The American Literature
Email Address: rathodanjali20022002ui@gmail.com
Submitted to : Smt. S.B. Gardi, Department of English, Maharaja Krishnakumarsinhji Bhavnagar University, Bhavnagar - 364002
Difference between Transcendentalism and Romanticism
Introduction :
In the 19th century, the American Romantic and Transcendental movements emerged as a response to the 18th-century Age of Enlightenment's emphasis on science and rationalism as means of discovering truth. These movements were characterized by a belief in individual freedom and the right to dissent, as well as a rejection of government interference with freedom of expression.
The writers associated with these movements, such as Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson, advocated for civil disobedience and the right to free expression. Their ideas had a profound influence on social and political movements in the 1960s and 1970s, including civil rights, equal rights, and anti-war protests.
The American Romantic and Transcendental movements of the 19th century were a reaction to the Age of Enlightenment's emphasis on science and rationalism. These movements emphasized the importance of individual rights and freedoms, including the right to disagree with the government and to express oneself freely. Their writings influenced social and political movements such as civil rights, equal rights, and anti-war protests in the 1960s and 1970s. They also had an impact on the thinking of some Supreme Court justices, which influenced the interpretation of the First Amendment.
The ideas of the American Romantic and Transcendental writers also influenced the thinking of Supreme Court justices and indirectly shaped the judicial interpretation of the First Amendment.
One of the main recent developments in the study of Transcendentalism has been a significant broadening of the field, through the inclusion of a greater array of authors and figures. In the early 1980s. Lawrence Buell marveled at the vitality of "the Emerson industry." but the focus of such critical energy was narrower than it has become today, and to the long-established figures of Emerson and Thoreau have been added other voices of considerable stature, primarily Margaret Fuller and Theodore Parker, but also a better sense of the complex intellectual interactions both within the "Transcendentalist movement" and between the latter and a range of intellectual traditions.(Constantinesco)
Transcendentalism:
A group of writers and philosophers in New England formed a loosely connected movement called Transcendentalism in the 19th century. Their beliefs were based on an idealistic system of thought, which emphasized the essential unity of all creation, the inherent goodness of humanity, and the power of intuition to reveal profound truths.
The Transcendentalists drew inspiration from a wide range of sources, including German transcendentalism, Platonism and Neoplatonism, Indian and Chinese scriptures, and the writings of mystics such as Emanuel Swedenborg and Jakob Bohme.
The New England Transcendentalists were an eclectic and cosmopolitan group, part of the broader Romantic movement. They emerged in the Concord, Massachusetts area from 1830 to 1855 and represented a conflict between the older and younger generations and the emergence of a new national culture based on native materials. Notable members included Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Orestes Brownson, Elizabeth Palmer Peabody, and James Freeman Clarke, as well as George Ripley, Bronson Alcott, and the younger W.E. Channing and W.H. Channing.
Transcendentalism emerged during the same period as Romanticism and is based on the philosophy of Immanuel Kant. The transcendentalists believed in the power of divinity, nature, and individualism, although their beliefs were different from those of the romantics. They believed that God was at the center of the universe and should be respected.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was a well-known transcendentalist who believed that wisdom and self-realization were crucial for personal growth. He also believed that evil arises from a lack of self-growth and fear among people, while good results from acts of happiness and generosity. While the romantics shared this belief, they likely emphasized the power of good in preventing evil.
Emerson and Fuller founded The Dial in 1840, which became a prototype for "little magazines" and published some of the best writings by minor Transcendentalists. The Transcendentalists, along with contemporaries such as Walt Whitman, Herman Melville, and Nathaniel Hawthorne, laid the groundwork for the American Renaissance in literature and represented the first flowering of American artistic genius.
Romanticism :
Romanticism, attitude or intellectual orientation that characterized many works of literature, painting, music, architecture, criticism, and historiography in Western civilization over a period from the late 18th to the mid-19th century. Romanticism can be seen as a rejection of the precepts of order, calm, harmony, balance, idealization, and rationality that typified Classicism in general and late 18th-century Neoclassicism in particular. It was also to some extent a reaction against the Enlightenment and against 18th-century rationalism and physical materialism in general.
Romanticism emphasized the individual, the subjective, the irrational, the imaginative, the personal, the spontaneous, the emotional, the visionary, and the transcendental. Romanticism was characterized by an interest in emotionally charged literary expressions from the past, which were relatively unsophisticated compared to the prevailing literary styles of the time.
Among the characteristic attitudes of Romanticism were the following: a deepened appreciation of the beauties of nature; a general exaltation of emotion over reason and of the senses over intellect; a turning in upon the self and a heightened examination of human personality and its moods and mental potentialities; a preoccupation with the genius. The hero and the exceptional figure in general and a focus on his or her passions and inner struggles; a new view of the artist as a supremely individual creator, whose creative spirit is more important than strict adherence to formal rules and traditional procedures, an emphasis upon imagination as a gateway to transcendent experience and spiritual truth, an obsessive interest in folk culture, national and ethnic cultural origins, and the medieval era; and a predilection for the exotic, the remote, the mysterious, the weird, the occult, the monstrous, the diseased, and even the satanic.
Before Romanticism, there were several related movements in the mid-18th century that can be called Pre-Romanticism, including a renewed appreciation of medieval romance. The Romantic movement takes its name from this renewed interest in tales of chivalric adventure that emphasized individual heroism, exoticism, and mystery, which contrasted with the formal and artificial styles of prevailing Classical literature.
Difference between Transcendentalism and Romanticism :
Romanticism exemplifies the importance of emotions and freedom over intellectual growth. They believe that everyone should follow what they’re feeling.
Transcendentalism draws inspiration from the beyond or external to the human perspective even beyond reasoning and normal traditions.
Romanticism doesn’t heavily emphasize the power of God as the center of the universe.
Transcendentalism strongly believes in God, divination, and the truth of miracles.
Romanticism educes strong emotions and exemplifies significant events. Romanticism is not about soft music, candlelit dinners, or fine dining. It is about a strong motivational force that focuses on patriotism, loyalty, and allegiance.
Transcendentalism is the power of knowledge to transcend intellectual growth and spirituality. It also highlights the power of divinity, nature, and individualism.
Romanticism started in Europe during the 18th century. It is an artistic, intellectual, and literary movement that shaped the start of the Industrial Revolution. The movement emphasized an aesthetic experience identifying new emotions as anxiety, awe, terror, and horror.
Conclusion :
Overall, The Romanticism and The Transcendentalism were two significant literary and philosophical movements that emerged during the 18th and 19th centuries. Both movements emphasized the importance of individualism, nature, and the power of emotions. While the romantics focused on the expression of emotion through literature and art, the transcendentalists believed in the power of self-realization and the connection between the individual and the divine. Both movements valued the power of the individual and their relationship with the world around them. Their ideas continue to influence literature, art, and philosophy to this day.
Works Cited :
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Romanticism". Encyclopedia Britannica, 30 Nov. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/art/Romanticism. Accessed 27 March 2023.
Constantinesco, Thomas, and François Specq. “Introduction: Transcendentalism Revisited.” Revue Française d’études Américaines, no. 140, 2014, pp. 3–10. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/43831054. Accessed 27 Mar. 2023.
Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Transcendentalism". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Oct. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/event/Transcendentalism-American-movement. Accessed 27 March 2023.
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