Henry David Thoreau

             The Transcendental period of the American literary movement was one of the most acknowledged periods of diversity in American literature. The Transcendental period began in 1836 with the transcendental club in Boston. The Belief in itself was the belief that man is connected to god through nature and that nature is the closest thing to god. Transcendentalist opposed the strict ritualism and dogmatic theology of established religious institutions. The transcendentalists were influenced primarily by the romantic movement of earlier American literature. (Houser worksheet handout)
             One of the best known writers of the period was Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau with his views against the government policies was to an extent everything that the transcendentalist stood for. His essay resistance to civil government or simple civil disobedience stated just how Thoreau felt about the government situation of his time.
             Thoreau also held the belief that man's connection to god was directly through nature. He believed this ideal so much that he lived in the woods on his own for an extended period of time. In this essay I will strive to show the relation of Thoreau's ideals and actions are examples of the beliefs of transcendentalist's ideals and also how Thoreau lived his life in exact coordination to the beliefs he held within a transcendental lifestyle.
             Few chapters in the history of American thought and writing have been discussed more thoroughly that the transcendentalist movement, but its diversity and lack of structure have often baffled its most serious students. (Pg.1 the transcendentalist) Transcentalism reached its peak in the late 1820 and over the next two decades then gradually declined after the civil war. (pg.1)
             Transcendentalism has had the most lasting impact on literature, partly because of the literary tastes and abilities of those associated with the movement and partly because many transcendentalists pr...

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Henry David Thoreau. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 09:54, March 29, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/91716.html