The Transcendentalism was not an undisputable movement. It had numerous different influences and strong and sometimes even radical beliefs which did not only evoke sympathy and understanding. Especially Ralph Waldo Emerson, on of the most important person of this movement, was critized for his ideas.1 Some contemporary artists, like Edgar Allan Poe, even had cravings to murder some Transcendentalists2 – although this statement probably has to be seen in regard to Poe's common irony. Poe and other authors used their work to express their distaste for Transcendentalism and tried to ridicule it, for example by exaggeration.3
In this term paper, I will answer the following question: What are the typical elements of Transcendentalism in Emerson's Poetry and how are they ridiculed by Edgar Allan Poe? To answer this question, I chose Emerson's poem „Give All To Love“. In my analysis of the poem, I will show that it contains a lot of typical elements of Transcendentalism, which is the reason why I chose this particular poem of Emerson. The work of Poe I will use is his short-story „The Fall of the House of Usher“. There are several works of Poe where he tries to ridicule Transcendentalism, but I chose this short-story since it is probably his most famous one.
Concerning my secondary literature, I tried to find a mixture of classical references, like „Literary Transcendentalism“ by Lawrence Buell, and of new and rather fresh internet-sources. To achieve a high level of reliability for my internet-sources, I almost only used homepages of american universities. With this mixture, I want to demonstrate that the topic of my term paper has been, and still is, relevant to literary studies.
I will start with a chapter about the Transcendentalism in general, the role of Emerson and name some of the criticism of Transcendentalism. The third chapter is concerned with a detailed analysis of the poem „Give All To Love“ by Emerson after which I will point out the typical transcendental elements in the poem. In chapter four, I will analyse Poe's short-story „The Fall of the House of Usher“ with regard to the research question and look for ridicule of Transcendentalism. I will close my term paper in the fifth chapter with a conclusion and will subsume, if and how my research question has been answered throughout the paper.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 Emerson & the Transcendentalism
2.1 The Transcendentalism – a short overview
2.2 Ralph Waldo Emerson – his role and beliefs in Transcendentalism
2.3 The animadversion on Transcendentalism and Emerson
3 Analysis I: „Give All To Love“ by Ralph Waldo Emerson
3.1 Analysis of „Give All To Love“
3.2 Typical elements of Transcendentalism in the poem
4 Analysis II: „The Fall of the House of Usher“ by Edgar Allan Poe
5 Conclusion
6 Bibliography
Research Objectives and Key Topics
This paper examines the fundamental intersection between Transcendentalist thought and its contemporary critique, focusing on the poetry of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the prose of Edgar Allan Poe. The primary research objective is to identify the core elements of Transcendentalism within Emerson's poem "Give All To Love" and subsequently analyze how Edgar Allan Poe actively ridicules and subverts these specific ideals in his short story "The Fall of the House of Usher".
- Principles of Ralph Waldo Emerson's Transcendentalism
- Stylistic and thematic analysis of the poem "Give All To Love"
- Literary strategies of ridicule used by Edgar Allan Poe
- Comparative analysis of optimism versus pessimism in 19th-century literature
- Critique of Transcendentalist idealism through the lens of Dark Romanticism
Excerpts from the Book
Typical elements of Transcendentalism in the poem
The poem contains a lot of typical elements of Transcendentalism. I will now state some of the most important elements and expose them with references to the poem „Give All To Love“.
The above mentioned irregularities on the phonological level could be seen as one typical element of Transcendentalism. It conveys the idea that there is no order and strategy in art, which just comes to the writer in some kind of inspiration. Emerson himself once said about art, that it „is something which the Reason created in spite of the hands“. Nevertheless, it is not an unchallenged element; according to Lawrence Buell in „Literary Transcendentalism“, some of Emerson's work has been nothing less than planned and thought-out. But in this case I would rather agree with the former explanation and treat it as an element of Transcendentalism.
The next typical element is the religious radicalism. In the analysis I already mentioned patterns of religion and some references to god, the bible etc. Emerson thought that humans could encounter the same experience and revelation that Jesus once did. To achieve this, one had to understand that moral emotion and sentiment exists. This idea is obvious in the poem, too. The addressee has to trust love, obey his heart and utterly follow the path love is laying down for him („Give all to love“ l. 1, „Obey thy heart“ l. 2, „Follow it utterly“ l. 9).
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter defines the research question regarding the elements of Transcendentalism in Emerson's poetry and their subversion by Edgar Allan Poe.
2 Emerson & the Transcendentalism: This section provides a historical overview of the Transcendentalist movement, emphasizing Emerson's role and the resulting contemporary criticism.
3 Analysis I: „Give All To Love“ by Ralph Waldo Emerson: This chapter offers a detailed stylistic and thematic interpretation of the poem, categorizing its core Transcendentalist values.
4 Analysis II: „The Fall of the House of Usher“ by Edgar Allan Poe: This part explores how Poe uses the narrative elements of his short story to mock the optimism and beliefs characteristic of Transcendentalism.
5 Conclusion: The concluding chapter summarizes how Emerson's idealistic beliefs are contrasted with Poe's pessimistic narrative approach to answer the central research question.
6 Bibliography: This chapter lists the academic sources and texts utilized for the research and analysis.
Key Words
Transcendentalism, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Edgar Allan Poe, Give All To Love, The Fall of the House of Usher, American Romanticism, Literary Criticism, Religious Radicalism, Transcendental Idealism, Cosmic Optimism, Literary Analysis, Stylistic Devices, Romanticism, Idealism, Pessimism
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this academic paper?
The paper explores the literary relationship between Transcendentalist thought and its critique, specifically analyzing how Ralph Waldo Emerson's poetry is challenged by the dark, pessimistic perspective of Edgar Allan Poe.
What are the core thematic fields addressed in the text?
The text focuses on the ideology of Transcendentalism, the nature of artistic inspiration, the role of religious sentiment, and the narrative strategies of ridicule used in 19th-century American literature.
What is the central research question guiding this work?
The paper aims to determine what typical elements of Transcendentalism are present in Emerson's poetry and how those exact elements are ridiculed or subverted by Edgar Allan Poe in his prose.
Which scientific methodology is applied in this study?
The author employs a comparative literary analysis, combining a close reading of primary texts (Emerson's poem and Poe's short story) with secondary source research to validate the identified Transcendentalist elements.
What topics are covered in the main section of the paper?
The main sections include a historical overview of Transcendentalism, a detailed thematic analysis of "Give All To Love", an identification of religious and idealistic patterns, and a comparative study of how Poe's work acts as a counter-narrative to Emerson's optimism.
Which keywords best describe the essence of this study?
Key terms include Transcendentalism, American Romanticism, Literary Criticism, Religious Radicalism, Transcendental Idealism, and the specific works "Give All To Love" and "The Fall of the House of Usher".
How does the author define the "Transcendentalist" view of love?
The author explains that Emerson portrays love as a god-like entity that demands absolute, unconditioned devotion from the individual, requiring the abandonment of worldly concerns such as family or social status.
Why does the author consider Poe’s "The Fall of the House of Usher" an appropriate target for this study?
The work is chosen because it represents a total contrast to Transcendentalist optimism, utilizing negative, decaying imagery that directly mocks the "ascending" philosophy championed by Emerson.
- Quote paper
- Jenny Beyen (Author), 2010, The Transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson and his critic Edgar Allan Poe, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/148231
