Difference between Transcendentalism and Romanticism Assignment 108

Difference between Transcendentalism and Romanticism

Transcendentalism and Romanticism both are very similar literary movements by nature which makes people confused between both movements. Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in New England. While romanticism is a movement in the arts and literature that originated in the late 18th century, emphasizing inspiration, subjectivity, and the primacy of the individual. This movement proposes that every individual can possess the ability to discover a higher truth on their own. Transcendentalists believe that human experience and high-knowledge thinking are more effective than any human reasoning. These people strongly disagree that there is a reason behind our environment and behaviours. Unlike Puritans and their belief that salvation and goodness are dependent on acts and charity, Transcendentalists believe all of nature and humans possess natural goodness to them. This movement is influenced by Romanticism.

What is Transcendentalism?

Transcendentalism is a philosophical movement that developed in the late 1820s and 1830s in New England.(Wayne) A core belief is in the inherent goodness of people and nature, and while society and its institutions have corrupted the purity of the individual, people are at their best when truly "self-reliant" and independent. Transcendentalists saw divine experience inherent in every day, rather than believing in a distant heaven. Transcendentalists saw physical and spiritual phenomena as part of dynamic processes rather than discrete entities. 

Transcendentalism emphasizes subjective intuition over objective empiricism. Adherents believe that individuals are capable of generating completely original insights with little attention and deference to past masters. It arose as a reaction, to protest against the general state of intellectualism and spirituality at the time. The doctrine of the Unitarian church as taught at Harvard Divinity School was closely related.

 Origin:

Transcendentalism is closely related to Unitarianism, the dominant religious movement in Boston in the early nineteenth century. It started to develop after Unitarianism took hold at Harvard University, following the elections of Henry Ware as the Hollis Professor of Divinity in 1805 and of John Thornton Kirkland as President in 1810. Transcendentalism was not a rejection of Unitarianism; rather, it developed as an organic consequence of the Unitarian emphasis on free conscience and the value of intellectual reason. The transcendentalists were not content with the sobriety, mildness, and calm rationalism of Unitarianism. Instead, they longed for a more intense spiritual experience. Thus, transcendentalism was not born as a counter-movement to Unitarianism, but as a parallel movement to the very ideas introduced by the Unitarians. (Finseth)

Transcendentalism’s main motive was to enhance intuition over objective reasoning. Transcendentalism teaches that there is God's presence everywhere and yet it should be given equal respect.

The five characteristics of Transcendentalism are:

• Transcendentalism believes in indwelling divinity in human souls

• Transcendentalism values the superiority of individuals over society

• Transcendentalism promotes thinking which is out of the box.

• Transcendentalism studies nature and counts as inspiration for the development of one’s self.

• Transcendentalism shows confidence in the universe and beliefs, whatever happens, is organic, welcoming, and inherently is good.

Famous writers in the genre of Transcendentalism:

• Louise May Alcott

• Elizabeth Peabody

• Frederic Henry Hedge

• William Ellery Channing

• Christopher Pearse Cranch

What is Romanticism?

Romanticism (also known as the Romantic movement or Romantic era) was an artistic, literary, musical, and intellectual movement that originated in Europe towards the end of the 18th century, and in most areas was at its peak in the approximate period from 1800 to 1850. Romanticism was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism, idealization of nature, suspicion of science and industrialization, and glorification of the past with a strong preference for the medieval rather than the classical. (Damrosch) It was partly a reaction to the Industrial Revolution,  the social and political norms of the Age of Enlightenment, and the scientific rationalization of nature—all components of modernity. It was embodied most strongly in the visual arts, music, and literature, but had a major impact on historiography, education, chess, social sciences, and the natural sciences. It had a significant and complex effect on politics, with romantic thinkers influencing conservatism, liberalism, radicalism, and nationalism. (Stedman and Claeys)

Romanticism or Romantic Era was known for its artistic, literary, intellectual, and musical movement which was born in Europe and was initialized at the end of the 18th century. Romanticism was worked out from 1800 to 1860 approximately. Romanticism was a reaction to the biased revolutions of industry, rationalization of science and even the concept of modernity.

The movement emphasized intense emotion as an authentic source of aesthetic experience, placing new emphasis on such emotions as fear, horror and terror, and awe — especially those experienced in confronting the new aesthetic categories of the sublime and beauty of nature

Origin:

The group of words with the root "Roman" in the various European languages, such as "romance" and "Romanesque", has a complicated history. By the 18th century, European languages – notably German, French and Russian – were using the term "Roman" in the sense of the English word "novel", i.e. a work of popular narrative fiction. This usage derived from the term "Romance languages", which referred to vernacular (or popular) language in contrast to formal Latin. Most such novels took the form of "chivalric romance", tales of adventure, devotion and honour. (Schellinger)

The founders of Romanticism, critics August Wilhelm Schlegel and Friedrich Schlegel, began to speak of romantische Poesie ("romantic poetry") in the 1790s, contrasting it with "classic" but in terms of spirit rather than merely dating. Friedrich Schlegel wrote in his 1800 essay Gespräch über die Poesie ("Dialogue on Poetry"): "I seek and find the romantic among the older moderns, in Shakespeare, in Cervantes, in Italian poetry, in that age of chivalry, love and fable, from which the phenomenon and the word itself are derived."

The five characteristics of Romanticism are :

• Romanticism has an interest in the common man and childhood

• Romanticism has awe for nature

• Romanticism has strong feelings and emotions

• Romanticism celebrates individuals

• Romanticism has the importance of imagination

Famous writers in the genre of Romanticism:

• William Wordsworth

• Lord Byron

• John Keats

• William Blake

• Mary Shelley

Main Differences Between Romanticism and Transcendentalism:

• Romanticism was highly based on feelings, and emotions, and introduced different emotions like anxiety, depression, etc. And hence Romanticism highlights patriotism, allegiance, and loyalties. Whereas, Transcendentalism highlights the power of nature, individualism, and divinity.

• Romanticism emphasizes emotion and feelings over personal and intellectual growth whereas Transcendentalism emphasizes inspirations beyond human perspective, normal traditions, and reasoning.

• Romanticism doesn't heavily emphasize God whereas Transcendentalism strongly emphasizes God, divinity, and belief in miracles.

• Romanticism indicates positivity whereas Transcendentalism indicates both good and evil as a part of personal growth.

• Romanticism was against outward appearances and objective reasoning and Transcendentalism was against religious traditions and dogmas.

Comparison Between Romanticism and Transcendentalism

Parameters of Comparison	Romanticism	Transcendentalism
Style of Writing	The style of writing of Romanticism includes moral values, individualism, creativity, freedom, and emotions.	The style of writing of Transcendentalism is based fully on the content of writing and not defined in a particular one or two types.
Highly Dependence	Romanticism is highly dependent on observations collected from natural senses, feelings, and emotions.	Transcendentalism is highly dependent on guidance from inner light and intuitions.
Start of Literary Movement	The Romanticism movement was born earlier in the 18th century and it was at its final stage in the year 1840.	The beginning of the Transcendentalism movement was started around 1834 and lasted till 1860 approximately.
Religion	Romanticism was not much dedicated to the ideas of God and hence religion was meant to be worked on a personal inner basis resulting in good or evil but not blindly following the same preconceived structure of religion.	Transcendentalism was fully based on religion. They rejected religious dogma but believed that God’s presence is everywhere and hence God can be found by intuition.
Reactions	Romanticism was the reaction against outward appearances and objective reasoning.	Transcendentalism was the reaction against religious traditions, beliefs and dogma which overpowered humans.
Writers	Names behind Romanticism writing are Emily Dickinson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Edgar Allen Poe, and Walt Whitman.	The names behind Transcendentalism writing are Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Conclusion

Romanticism and Transcendentalism both are literary movements that took place in the 18th century.   In the majority of aspects, both Romanticism and Transcendentalism’s philosophies were similar. Both of them- Romanticism and Transcendentalism causes were quite similar. Both movements- Romanticism movements and Transcendentalism movements were the result of strict traditions, law, and religious rules of that time which only serve political and religious benefits and not the development of a human being and its inner self. Both of them- Romanticism and Transcendentalism encouraged individuals to go on the journey of self-growth and find inner light in the sense of god’s divinity and accept the fact that miracles do happen. Both of them motivated the journey of emotions like love, depression, anxiety, etc, and let that feel the human body.

Romanticism emphasized that god is internal light whereas transcendentalism emphasized that god’s external force. Both of them were taught to believe there is god, and God is the universe, and whatever you seek from the universe, you shall receive. Romanticism and Transcendentalism also taught us to find the purpose of one’s living, to meditate and find that inner light and then conduct a selection out of two choices which are accepted good in life or evil in life. Though both the ways we're different to make people understand what is god, its nature, beliefs, universe, and emotions, the one thing which was for sure was the development of personal growth mentally and emotionally.

Works Cited

Damrosch, Leopold. “Adventures in English literature.” Internet Archive, 1985, https://archive.org/details/adventuresinengl0000damr.

Finseth, Ian Frederick. “Rise of Transcendentalism.” American Studies @ The University of Virginia, http://xroads.virginia.edu/~MA95/finseth/trans.html. Accessed 9 May 2022.

Schellinger, Paul, editor. Encyclopedia of the Novel. Taylor & Francis, 2014. Accessed 9 May 2022.

Stedman Jones, Gareth, and Gregory Claeys, editors. The Cambridge History of Nineteenth-Century Political Thought. Cambridge University Press, 2011. Accessed 9 May 2022.

Wayne, Tiffany K. Encyclopedia of Transcendentalism. Facts On File, Incorporated, 2014. Accessed 9 May 2022.