超验主义：Emerson-&-Thoreau

1Transcendentalism(RalphWaldoEmersonHenryDavidThoreau)2I.Transcendentalism•Flourishedin1830s-1850s(1836—1855)•Nature(1836)asitsunofficialmanifesto•ThesummitofAmericanromanticism•“AmericanRenaissance”•NotonlyoneoftheimportantsignsoftheindependenceofAmericanliteraturebutalsoasignificantphraseinthehistoryofAmericanculture3Transcendentalism•Leaders:EmersonandThoreau•Club:TranscendentalistClub(Cambridge,Massachusetts,onSeptember8,1836)•Journal:TheDial4HistoricalIntroductionOrigin:ThetermtranscendentaloriginatedfromKant'sphilosophyanditreferstoanythingbelongingtointuition.AccordingtoEmerson,WhatispopularlycalledTranscendentalismamongusisidealism;idealismasappearsin1842.5•Itistheproductofcombinationof:•1)AmericanPuritanism:•InwardcommunicationofthesoulwithGodanddivinesymbolismofnature•ThePuritanprincipleofself-cultureandself-improvement•2)Foreigninfluence:EuropeanRomanticismGermanIdealistphilosophyOrientalmysticismasrevealedinHindooandChineseclassics.DefinitionofTranscendentalism•AphilosophicandliterarymovementthatflourishedinNewEngland,particularlyatConcord,asareactionagainst18thcenturyrationalism.IthasbeendefinedPhilosophicallyas“therecognitioninman’scapacityofknowingtruthintuitively,orattainingknowledgetranscendingthereachofthesenses.”Thisromantic,idealistic,mystical,andindividualisticbeliefwasmoreacastofthoughtthanasystematicphilosophy:7EssenceofTranscendentalism•1.Over-soulItisanall-pervadingpowerfromwhichallthingscomefromandofwhichallareapart.•2.Individualism•TheimportanceoftheIndividual,self-reliance•3.Nature•AssymboloftheSpiritorGodGobacktonature,sinkyourselfbackintoitsinfluenceandyou’llbecomespirituallywholeagain.MajorfeaturesofTranscendentalism①Spirit,ortheOversoul(超灵):mostimportantthingintheuniverse;anall-pervadingpowerforgoodness,omnipresentandomnipotent;fromwhichallthingscomeandofwhichallareapart;existsinnatureandmanalike;constitutesthechiefelementoftheuniverse.It’sanewwayoflookingattheworld,andareactiontothe18thcenturyNewtonianconceptoftheuniversewhichholdsthattheuniverseismadeupofmatter.②Secondly,theTranscendentalistsstressedtheimportanceoftheindividual.Theindividualwasthemostimportantelementofsociety;hisself-culture(修养),self-improvementandself-perfectionshouldbecomethefirstconcernofhislife;theidealtypeofmanistheself-reliantindividual;peopleshoulddependonthemselvesforspiritualperfection;theindividualsoulcommunedwiththeOversoulandisthereforedivine.It’sanewwayoflookingatman,andareactionagainsttheCalvinistconceptthatmanistotallydepraved,sinfulandremainsinsinhood,andcannothopetobesavedexceptthroughthegraceofGod.③Thirdly,theTranscendentalistsofferedafreshperceptionofnatureassymbolicoftheSpiritorGod.Naturewas,tothem,notpurelymatter,butaliveandfilledwithGod’soverwhelmingpresence;thegarmentoftheOversoul;exercisesahealthyandrestorativeinfluenceonthehumanmind;thingsinnaturetendtobecomesymbolic,andthephysicalworldisasymbolofthespiritual.It’sanewwayoflookingatnatureandaddedtothetraditionofliterarysymbolisminAmericanliterature.II.RepresentativesofTranscendentalismRalphWaldoEmersonHenryDavidThoreauRalphWaldoEmerson(1803-1882)•Anphilosopher,poetandprosewriter;Themostinfluentialamonghiscontemporaries,andtheleadingfigureandmosteloquentspokesmanofNewEnglandTranscendentalism;HisNatureiscalled“theManifesto”and“theBible”ofTranscendentalism.Outline1.BiographicalIntroduction2.MajorWorks3.Emerson'sThought4.ReputationandInfluence5.CaseStudy1.BiographicalIntroduction•SonofaNewEnglandclergymen•Experienced“genteelpoverty”asachild•WenttoHarvard,reconsiderCalvinistbelief,embracedUnitarianism•BecameaUnitarianministertotheSecondchurchofBoston•LefthisjobforEuropeandbroughtbackEuropeanRomanticism•FormedTranscendentalistClubanditsjournal“theDial”,becamespokesmanofNewEnglandTranscendentalismRalphWaldoEmerson2.MajorWorks•Nature《论自然》•“TheAmericanScholar”《美国学者》•“TheDivinitySchoolAddress《神学院演说》•“Self-Reliance”《论自助》•“Over-soul”《论超灵》Nature(1836)NatureisoneofEmerson’sbest-knownandmostinfluentialessays,itisalyricalexpressionoftheharmonyEmersonfeltbetweenhimselfandnature.Themainideaoftheessayisthatnatureinspiresspiritualunderstandinginhumanbeing.It’sconsideredastheBibleofTranscendentalism.“TheAmericanScholar”(1837)•Sixtyyearsafterdeclaringindependence,AmericanculturewasstillheavilyinfluencedbyEurope,andEmerson,forpossiblythefirsttimeinthecountry'shistory,providedavisionaryphilosophicalframeworkforescapingfromunderitsironlidsandbuildinganew,distinctiveAmericanculturalidentity.•OliverWendellHolmes,Sr.declaredthisspeechtobeAmerica'sIntellectualDeclarationofIndependence.“TheDivinitySchoolAddress”(1838)•TheaddresstouchedoffamajorcontroversyamongAmericanUnitariantheologians,primarilyaboutthenecessityofbeliefinthehistoricaltruthoftheBiblicalmiracles,butinvolvingothersecondaryissuesaswell.TheUnitarianestablishmentofNewEnglandandofHarvardDivinitySchoolrejectedEmerson'steachingsoutrightforthenextthirtyyears.“Self-Reliance”(1841)•“Self-Reliance”ishissignificantworkwhichexpresseshisideaoftranscendentalism,onefocusofwhichistheprimacyoftheindividual.S