American+Renaissance+literary+and+artistic+expressions+pp.+361–362

- Transcendentalism was a **group of new ideas in [|literature], [|religion] , [|culture] , and [|philosophy] **. - Originated in **Concord**, Massachusetts - Objective: to transcend the bounds of the **intellect** and to strive for **emotional** understanding, **to attain unity with god**, without the help of the institutional church which they saw as stifling to self-expression A. Argued our natural ability to understand and perfect the world by relying on our higher instincts 2. ** Henry David Thoreau’ ** s //Walden//, //Civil disobedience// A. Return to simple life B. Noncooperation with evil 3. ** James Fenimore Cooper’s ** //Leatherstocking Tales// // A. // Emphasized the independence of the individual // B. // The importance of a stable social order 4. ** Walt Whiman’s ** //Leaves of Grass// // A. // Importance of individualism 5. ** Herman Melville’s ** classic stories //Typee, Billy Budd, Moby Dick// // A. // Individual’s struggle with nature and fate // B. // Puritan doctrine of original sine 6. ** Nathaniel Hawthorne’s ** //Scarlet Letter// // A. // Criticism of Puritan bigotry 7. ** Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s ** epic poems //Evangeline// and //Hiawatha// // A. // Value of tradition // B. // Impact of the past on the present 8. ** Francis Parkman ** //Montcalm and Wole, The Oregon Trail// // A. // Struggle Empire between France and Britain // B. // Opening frontier of the Rocky Mountains and beyond - Extraordinary lowering of literary genius - portrayed individualistic Americans - showed unique American culture, lifestyles, and values “All life is an experiment. The more experiments you make the better.”
 * American Renaissance: literary and artistic expressions **
 * Transcendentalism **
 * Writers and Themes **
 * 1. **** Ralph Waldo Emerson’s **// Self-Reliance //
 * Why American Renaissance? **
 * Quotations **

“Society acquires new arts, and loses old instincts.”

“Let us treat men and women well; treat them as if they were real. Perhaps they are.”

“It was a high counsel that I once heard given to a young person, ‘Always do what you are afraid to do.’”


 * Citation **
 * http://www.transcendentalists.com/emerson_quotes.htm **
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santa_Fe_Trail **
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oregon_trail **
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_David_Thoreau **
 * http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Transcendentalism **
 * http://www.transcendentalists.com/emerson_quotes.htm **