资源描述:
《美国超验主义文学.doc》由会员上传分享,免费在线阅读,更多相关内容在教育资源-天天文库。
1、NewEnglandTranscendentalism学院:外国语学院班级:英日092姓名:常司楠学号:090801045NewEnglandTranscendentalismIn1836alittlebookentitledNaturecameoutwhichmadeatremendousimpactontheintellectualllifeofAmerica.“TheuniverseiscomposedofNatureandtheSoul,”itsays,“Spritispresenteverywh
2、ere.”Thewindofchangewasbeginningblow.Awholenewwayofthinkingbegantoexertitsinfluenceontheconsciousnessofman.Nature’svoicepushedAmericanromanticismintoanewphase—newEnglandTranscendentalism,thesummitofAmericanRomanticism.ItwasthefirstAmericanintellectualmove
3、mentwhichexertedatremendousinfluenceontheconsciousnessofAmericanpeople.AstowhatistheTranscendentalism,theansweristheidealism.However,inthattime,someNewEnglandersnothappyaboutthematerialistic-orientatedoftheirtime,formedthemselvesintoaninformalclub,theTran
4、scendentalistClub,andmettodiscussthemattersofinteresttothelifeofthenationasawhole.Theyexpresstheirviewonthejournal,Dial.TheclubwithamembershipofsomethirtymenandacoupleofwomenincludedEmerson,Thoreau,BronsonAlcott,andMargaretFuller.Thereare5featuresoftheNew
5、EnglandTranscendentalismcanbesummarizedasfollows:first,theTranscendentalistsplacedemphasisonspirit,ortheOversoul,asthemostimportantthingintheuniverse.Theoversoulwasanall-pervadingpowerforgoodness,omnipresentandomnipotent,fromwhichallthingscameandofwhichal
6、lwereapart.Itexistedinnatureandmanalikeandconstitutedthechiefelementoftheuniverse.Nowthis,obviously,representedanewwayoflookingattheworld.Itwasalsoapparentlyareactiontotheeighteen-centuryNewtonianconceptoftheuniverse:Intheeighteencenturyitwasapparentlyhel
7、dthattheworldwasmadeupofmatter.Itwasalsoareactionagainstthedirectionthatamechanized,capitalistAmericawastaking,againstthepoplartendencytogetaheadinworldaffairstotheneglectofspiritualwelfare.Secondly,theTranscendentalistsstressedtheimportanceoftheindividua
8、l.Tothemtheindividualwasthemostimportantelementofsociety.Hisperfection,hisself-cultureandself-improvementshouldbecomethefirstconcernofhislife.Thisnewnotionoftheindividualandhisimportancerepresented,obviously,anewway