Transcending Transcendentalism
From Eagleton's Literary Theory:
"That any such transcendental meaning is fiction--though perhaps a necessary fiction--is one consequence of the theory of language I have outlined" (114).
When I was in high school, I remember going over transcendentalism but I cannot remember it at all. Every time I run across the word, I mean to look it up. This time, however, I'm not going to let it fall through the cracks!
According to www.merriam-webster.com, to transcend means:
1 a: exceeding usual limits : surpassing b: extending or lying beyond the limits of ordinary experience cin Kantian philosophy : being beyond the limits of all possible experience and knowledge2: being beyond comprehension
The definition makes sense because the prefix trans means, according to dictionary.com “across,” “beyond,” “through,” and a few other meanings that I found not applicable. The suffix "scend" means to "climb." So by putting the two together, you get to climb through or to climb beyond. I think that reflects the definition well.
Then there is the literary movement called "transcendentalism," which I think we can all benefit from knowing. Merriam-webster said it was:
1: a philosophy that emphasizes the a priori conditions of knowledge and experience or the unknowable character of ultimate reality or that emphasizes the transcendent as the fundamental reality
I don't know about you, but that does not help too much. Next I went to wikipedia where I pretty much learned that transcendentalism was a rebellion against the Unitarian Church. It seemed to be a movement that practiced self-reliance and was strictly founded in the spiritual world. Their beliefs went beyond actual experiences and the church and seemed to focus a lot on nature. Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau are the two most famous transcendentalists.
What do you think? Do you have anything to add?
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Greta Carroll on Transcending Transcendentalism: Angela, haha, yeah I know what
Angela, haha, yeah I know what you mean it’s easy to forgot things you just talked about briefly in high school. I liked how you went about defining transcendentalism though. I like how you took the word apart and first looked at just the prefix and root to explain what it means. I think that will help you member better what it means. As for things to add, I think your comments on it dealing with self-reliance are very important. I think also part of it though, is that the transcendentalists relied on their intuition or inspiration, not logic. They went above and beyond mathematical reasoning. You might want to read this article if you have time, it talks about them believing in this idea of intuition: http://womenshistory.about.com/bltranscend.htm
I always viewed Transcendentalism as the American equivalent to the British Romantic movement. You might even argue that Transcendentalism was an outcropping of its earlier British predecessor. Transcendentalism seems to focus heavily on nature, particularly its spiritual significance. This focus seems very fitting, given the vast amount of open nature on the American frontier and artists such as Thomas Cole clearly exhibit this focus in their work. Like you said, in the literary world, Emerson and Thoreau were the biggies in this genre. In my mind this is the first American art movement that pushes the country past the status of a budding baby to the status of an intellectual rival for other long established countries, such as Britain.