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Similarities Between Transcendentalism And Romanticism

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Transcendentalism and Romanticism were social, artistic, and literary movements that originated in the 18th century in New England. It arose as a reaction to protest against the general state of intellectualism and spirituality at the time. The two movements have many differences and comparisons that both intertwine to create a positive and negative aspect of human nature. Transcendentalism and romanticism have both a negative and positive aspect of human nature, and both compare and contrast within one another because they stand out during the time period, and was an important side of the industrial revolution. Transcendentalism was expressed through central figures such as Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, who wrote many novels …show more content…

This can be viewed through the works of author Washington Irving in his short story, The Devil and Tom Walker, published in 1824, where he goes into detail of his opinions of romanticism and what it means to him. A quote from the short story is, “You shall open a broker’s shop in Boston next month,” … “You shall extort bonds, foreclose mortgages, drive the merchants to bankruptcy”. This quotation is said through a man in the story who is symbolizing the devil; therefore Irving is using this to show a negative aspect of human nature and how there is a dark and corrupt side to society. Another example of romanticism having a negative aspect of human nature is in the many stories and essays written by the author Edgar Allen Poe, such as, “The Fall of the House of Usher”, “Ligeia”, and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”. The short story with the most detail and evidence of romanticism and it’s negative aspect would be another famous work by Poe, “The Pit and the Pendulum”. The story is based upon Gothic literature and includes the story with the tragedy of death and the events that follow. An example from the story is, “I shrank back, but the closing walls pressed me resistlessly onward. At length for my seared and writhing body there was no longer an inch of foothold on the firm floor of the …show more content…

With the many famous and major parts taken during this movement and era that include, Henry David Thoreau, Edgar A. Poe, and Ralph Waldo Emerson demonstrate what’s the realism behind society. They go through what’s it like to be as an individual and the importance of that with nature. Without these two movements the characteristics of literature and the truth of individualism would be very different than it

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