Jaycee Sharp
William Devine
ENGL 2210
10 December 2019
Romanticism and Transcendentalism: How are they related?
A lot of challenges to the way things are supposed to be done are happening today, and new traditions are emerging. But during the 1800’s more important freedoms, specifically religious freedoms were at stake. Romanticism and Transcendentalism emerged as a way to protest the too-powerful Puritan church, but what is most interesting about these two movements is their hand-in-hand relationship. While Romanticism and Transcendentalism are very similar with respect to their origins, they are very different when it comes to the styles and they way the authors aspire to make a difference in their religion.
Both Romanticism and Transcendentalism are highly inclusive of religion, so it makes sense that the message sent by Romantic and Transcendental writers is similar. Romanticism protests Christianity as a not only a family obligation, but a legal obligation that could be influenced by the dark side of human beings, and according to Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “I [Satan] helped your grandfather, the constable when he lashed the Quaker so smartly through the streets of Salem. And it was I [Satan] that brought your father a pitch-pine knot, kindled at my own hearth, to set fire to an Indian village, in King Philip's war. They were my good friends, both; and many a pleasant walk we had along this path, and returned merrily after midnight” (670). The devil’s dialogue in these lines help to justify the stance of American Romantics with respect to an all-powerful, ruling church. By including the harsh punishments inflicted by Goodman’s grandfather, Hawthorne provides a visual aid as to why the church should not be allowed to hold so much power over the people and for people to seek truths for themselves. Transcendentalism takes Romanticism one step further and specifies where God can be found. Transcendentalism expresses the need for individuals to seek their own salvation through venturing out and observing nature. Both Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson agree that “…a function of nature is to provide language by which spiritual truths may be expressed” (Westbrook). Henry David Thoreau’s short story Walden and Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Nature are both Transcendentalist works encouraging their readers to venture outside to find solitude and receive truths about their faith. Both authors agree with the individual pursuit of salvation as opposed to the more traditional methods of obtaining salvation, as expressed and protested in Romanticism. Transcendentalism expands on Romanticism by expressing where faith can be strengthened in ones life.
Although the messages found in Transcendentalist and Romantic literature are similar, the settings are vastly different. Romantic authors, such as Edgar Allan Poe, typically set their stories in dark and dreary places. A wonderful example of this gothic style of writing is seen in Poe’s The Masque of the Red Death during the death of Prince Prospero who “… now was acknowledged the presence of the Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with that of the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all” (Poe). The short story shows a dark side of human beings, hiding in a castle in an effort to prevent the inevitable. The red death, a symbol of evil ends up killing the Prince, representing prosperity and power, who is so carefully trying to avoid death, or in this case “evil.” Transcendentalist writing differs from Romantic writing due to the fact that is has no set style. Rather than focus on the dark side of human beings, Transcendentalist writing focuses on the individual pursuit of salvation and spirituality. Henry David Thoreau’s Walden refers to Thoreau’s own pursuit of spirituality by “…describing what can only be taken as a mystical experience–the only one recorded in Walden. Elsewhere he focuses more on his daily life at the pond, always subjecting it to interpretations that go deeper than mere description or narrative. Thus while the day from dawn to dusk symbolizes the awakening of the spirit to reality beyond appearances, so too does the year…the succession of chapters follows the seasons from high summer through spring of the following year–the two years and two months of residence at Walden Pond being telescoped into one year. Summer, of course is the season of fullest spiritual awakening…” (Westbrook). This is a typical example of transcendentalist ideals, as spiritual growth is found in and symbolized by nature. What is compelling is how Thoreau uses seasons of the year to project his spiritual growth. By venturing out into nature to work on himself, Thoreau sets an example for his readers to follow rather than just “publishing writing.” Transcendentalist writers set an example for their readers to follow rather than portraying good and evil through symbolism like Romantic authors.
The main difference between Romanticism and Transcendentalism is the literary styles of the two movements. As previously mentioned, Romantic authors were characterized by their dark style of writing and fall into the Gothic genre but more importantly “romanticism saw a shift from faith in reason to faith in the senses, feelings, and imagination; a shift from interest in urban society to an interest in the rural and natural; a shift from public, impersonal poetry to subjective poetry; and from concern with the scientific and mundane to interest in the mysterious and infinite. Mainly they cared about the individual, intuition, and imagination” (Sturgeon). Transcendentalist writers wrote literature that was a bit more fluid when it came to style and form. Transcendentalist literature …[was] highly individualistic in both character and philosophical outlook, resisting any common doctrinal or intellectual stance. [Transcendentalist authors] shared, however, a highly optimistic vision of humanity and a confidence in the future of American intellectual life and thought, freed from the bonds of intellectual precedent or religious superstition. These young writers also shared an intellectual affection for various forms of idealism” (Gould). Transcendentalism was a more philosophical approach to what Romantics had written about and fought for. As mentioned in the above paragraph, Romantics tended to use a darker setting. Transcendentalists focused more on the effect of nature on spirituality in order to realistically convey their message, while Romantics relied heavily on symbolism to get the point across to their readers.
Romantic and Transcendentalist authors both spoke a similar message, but they took different approaches to the expression of their beliefs. Although Transcendentalism and Romanticism emerged roughly around the same time, both movements had their similarities and differences within style, setting, and symbolism as a method of protesting the church’s power during the 1800’s. This time period was an extremely important due to these two movements, as it helped to form the basis for the next period of American Literature.
Works Cited
“Characteristics of Romantic Literature.” Sturgeon English, www.sturgeonenglish.com/uploads/1/3/6/0/13602064/rom.lit.char.pdf.
Gould, Rebecca K. Trancedentalism. www.religionandnature.com/ern/sample/Gould–Transcendentalism.pdf.
Levine, Robert S. The Norton Anthology of American Literature. W. W. Norton & Company, 2017.
Westbrook, Perry D. “Walden: Overview.” “Refrence Guide to American Literature, edited by Jim Kamp, 3rd ed., St. James Press, 1994. Literature Resource Center.