Transcendentalism was a literary movement in the first half
             of the 19th century. The philosophical theory contained such
             aspects as self-examination, the celebration of individualism, and
             the belief that the fundamental truths existed outside of human
             experience. Fulfillment of this search for knowledge came when
             one gained an acute awareness of beauty and truth, and
             communicated with nature to find union with the Over-Soul. When
             this occurred, one was cleansed of materialistic aims, and was left
             with a sense of self-reliance and purity. Two authors who were
             among the leaders of the movement were Ralph Waldo Emerson
             and Henry David Thoreau, whose works "Nature",
             "Self-Reliance", and "Walden" brought America to the forefront of
             the transcendentalist movement. Their ideas opposed the popular
             materialist views of life and voiced a desire for freedom of the
             individual from artificial restraints. They felt that if they explored
             nature thoroughly, they would come to know themselves and the
             The concept of transcendentalism is clearly expressed in the
             essay "Nature", by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson was a leader
             in the movement of transcendentalism and the first American
             author to influence European thought. His essay "Nature" tells of
             how one can gain insight and spiritual cleansing simply from
             experiencing nature. Emerson tells of how "in the woods is
             perpetual youth" and "in the woods we return to reason and faith."
             These lines exemplify the very ideals of transcendentalism. They
             show the deep roots a person has in nature and how one can
             receive knowledge of their Over-Soul by honestly enjoying the
             outdoors and freeing oneself of previous evils. In the following
             "Standing on the bare ground- my head bathed by the blithe
             air and uplifted into infinite space- all mean egotism
             vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball: I am nothing; I see
             ...