Transcendentalism

1. Transcendentalism A movement in literature during the 1830's, 40's, & 50's. Authors stressed the presence of God in nature and the importance of the individual. The movement also emphasized rejection of traditional authority and individual self-reliance.

2. Ralph Waldo Emerson Wrote Nature, & Self Reliance. Believed in man's mystical unity with nature. He also expressed the belief that salvation was within the individual.

3. Henry David Thoreau wrote Walden & Civil Disobedience. His writings on resistance to authority forever influenced Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi.

4. Walt Whitman Poet whose collection Leaves of Grass was initially a financial failure. He pushed the envelope of acceptability, having some of his works banned for their sexuality.

5. Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poet who became very popular in Europe for things like “Song of Hiawatha” and “Evangeline.”

6. Louisa May Alcott Little Women author who grew up alongside Emerson and Thoreau.

7. Emily Dickinson Wrote poetry about love, nature, death, and all were published after her death.

8. Washington Irving wrote Rip Van Winkle & The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. Known for his stories of the New York area and his comic satire

9. James Fenimore Cooper wrote The Last of the Mohicans & The Leatherstocking Tales. Known for his tales of the frontier. Earned many enemies after he wrote about the abuses of democracy.

10. Edgar Allen Poe wrote The Raven, The Fall of the House of Usher, & The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Known for his dark tales, he was one of the most brilliant American writers.

11. Nathaniel Hawthorne Spent 6 months at Brook Farm, hated it, and left. Wrote The Scarlet Letter in 1850.

12. Herman Melville His masterpiece Moby Dick went largely unnoticed until the 20th Century.

13. Hudson River Artists Group of artists who painted scenes of colonial farms, becoming popular as Americans remembered simpler times.