Anti-Transcendentalism
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Transcript Anti-Transcendentalism
AntiTranscendentalism
Hawthorne and
Melville
The Darker Visions
Not all authors of the period as
thought-provoking as the
transcendentalists.
Saw the universe as confusing and
difficult.
Evil and suffering had to be explained,
accounted for.
Life was ultimately mysterious.
Significant Authors
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804-1864)
He had connections to the
Transcendentalist Club, but instead of
“assert[ing] human freedom,
Hawthorne reminds us of human
limitations.”
Called his stories “allegories of the
heart”
“An atmosphere of hidden depravity” in
all his best fiction.
Significant Authors
Herman Melville (1819-1891)
Won significant fame and following for
his first five novels – adventure tales of
seafaring.
Upon publication of Moby-Dick, his
popularity began to decline.
Last years of his life spent working as a
bureaucrat, bitter and dissatisfied, and
almost forgotten.
Nathaniel Hawthorne
Descended from a
judge in the Salem
witch trials
Father, a sea
captain, died when
Hawthorne was four
Lived in seclusion
for 12 years in
Salem, ‘learning to
write’
Common Themes
Hawthorne’s work preoccupied with
effects of Puritanism in New England
Stories often considered allegorical
Stories express mental conflict
Described himself as a writer “who has
been burrowing, to his utmost ability,
into the depths of our common nature,
for the purposes of psychological
romance.”
Literary Style
Hawthorne’s idea of romance versus
novel
Not entirely faithful to reality
Does not portray real people, but does
remain true to human emotion
Hawthorne’s renown based on
Sense of structure
Moral insight
Mastery of symbolism and allegory
Symbolism: Review
A symbol is a
concrete item which
represents an
abstract idea.
Symbols may be
called conventional,
meaning that they
are recognized in
many cultures and
many eras.
Bibliography
Crews, Frederick C. Introduction. Great Short Works of Hawthorne. By
Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Harper & Row, 1967.
Hart, James D. and Phillip W. Leininger, eds. Oxford Companion to
American Literature. 6E. New York: OUP, 1995.
“Hawthorne, Nathaniel.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia
Britannica Online School Edition. 7 Dec. 2004 <http://school.eb.com/
eb/article?tocId=3067>.
“Hawthorne, Nathaniel.” Hart and Leininger. 278-79.
“Melville, Herman.” Encyclopædia Britannica. 2004. Encyclopædia
Britannica Online School Edition. 9 Dec. 2004 <http://school.eb.com/eb/
article?tocId=4764>.
“Melville, Herman.” Hart and Leininger. 425-26.