Ralph-Waldo-Emerson-艾默生

RalphWaldoEmersonFatherofAmericanliterature•TranscendentalistBringtranscendentalismtoNewEngland•Believeinindividualism,independenceofmind,self-reliance•Prose,poetry,speechEmerson'sLife1803,BorninBostontoWilliamandRuthHaskinsEmerson.1811,Fatherdiesoftuberculosis.1821,GraduatesfromHarvardandbeginsteachingathisbrotherWilliam'sschoolforyoungladiesinBoston.1825,EntersHarvardDivinitySchool.1829,MarriesEllenTuckerandisordainedministeratBoston'sSecondChurch.1832,ResignspositionasministerandsailsforEurope.1833,MeetsWordsworth,Coleridge,J.S.Mill,andThomasCarlyle.ReturnstoBostoninNovember,wherehebeginsacareerasalecturer.Emerson'sLife1836,Publishesfirstbook,Nature.《论自然》1838,Deliversthe“DivinitySchoolAddress.”《神学院演说》1841,Essayspublished(contains“Self-Reliance,”“TheOver-Soul,”“Circles,”“History).1844,Essays,SecondSeriespublished(contains“ThePoet,”“Experience,”“Nominalist(名义主义者）andRealist”).ExitContinueRalphWaldoEmersonisoftenpositionedasthe“father”ofAmericanliterature.Asapoet,preacher,orator,andessayist,hearticulatedthenewnation’sprospectsandneedsandbecameaweightyexemplumoftheAmericanartist.Hebecomesthefounderof“Transcendentalism”orthespokesmanfor“Nature”,the“optimist”whodoesnotunderstandtheworld’sevilorpain.Heisthusremovedfromthemarchoftime,idealizedasa“primordial”（原始的）figurewhosevisionisolateshimfromthepoliticalandsocialstrugglesofhisage.ButEmersonwasneversimplyadistantpatriarchal[peɪtrɪ‘ɑ:kl]父系的figureshelteredfromthematerialproblemsofhisage.Heconstructedhis“optative”exuberance[ɪɡ’zju:bərəns]繁茂despitetheearlydeathsofhisfather,twoofhisbrothers,hisbelovedyoungwife,andhisfirstson,anddespitehisownseriousboutswithlungdiseaseandeyestrain.Hewasachildbothofprivilegeandpenury赤贫,offamilypositionanddependence.AtHarvard,whichheattendedonscholarship,Emersonstruggledwiththeacademiccurriculumandwithhisexpectedfutureaseitherateacherorminister.Buthealsoconductedamoresatisfyingprivateeducationofreadingandjournalwritingthatwouldpreparehimtobeawriter,anAmericanscholar,andpoet.ExitContinueThoseaimshadtowait,however,whileEmersonhelpedsupporthisfamilybyteachingschool.In1825,heenteredHarvardDivinitySchool,followingninegenerationsofhisfamilyintotheministry.In1829,EmersonmarriedEllenTucker,onlytolosehersixteenmonthslatertothetuberculosisthatalsothreatenedhim.ThepainofherdeathandhisownsenseofvulnerabilitymayhavehastenedEmerson’sdecisiontoleavetheministry.Withthesubstantialinheritanceshelefthim,hehadthemeanstomakesuchachange,totravelonthecontinent,tobuybooks,andtowritethem.Theinheritance,withtheearningshereceivedfromhislecturetoursandhispublicationsandwithalifetimeoffrugalityandfiscalplanning,madehimfinanciallysecure.Hesupportedanextendedfamily,caringforhisretardedbrotherfortwentyyears.In1835,hemarriedLidianJackson,andmovedtoConcord,wheretheyhadfourchildren----Waldo,Ellen,Edith,andEdwardWaldo,wholatereditedhisfather’sworksandjournals.Thedeathfromscarletfeveroffive-year-oldWaldowasablowtoEmerson’sfaithincompensation.Inhis1844essay“Experience”,hewrotefromthisloss,andfromhisurgentdesiretoregainthe“practicalpower”thatcouldpersistdespitepersonalandpublicgrief.Hediedin1882,frompneumonia,andwasburiedinConcord,nearThoreauandHawthorne.WaldoEmersonistrulythecenteroftheAmericantranscendentalmovement,settingoutmostofitsideasandvaluesinalittlebook,Nature,publishedin1836,thatrepresentedatleasttenyearsofintensestudyinphilosophy,religion,andliterature•Transcendentalism（超验主义）•Aspecialkindofphilosophyappearedinthe1830sinUS•SummitofAmericanRomanticism•Definition•Transcendentalismhasbeendefinedphilosophicallyas“therecognitioninmanofthecapacityofknowingtruthintuitively,orofattainingknowledgetranscending(超越)thereachofthesenses.”•一种文学和哲学运动,宣称存在一种理想的精神实体,超越于经验和科学之处,通过直觉得以把握。Features•1.TheOversoul超灵—anall-pervadingpowerforgoodness.Allthingscamefromit,andpartofit.Anewwayoflookingattheworld.•2.Theindividualisthemostimportantelementofsociety—Anewwayoflookingatman.•3.AfreshperceptionofnatureassymbolicoftheSpiritorGod.•Manispartofnature,andnatureispartofGod,andtheyarepartsofagreatwhole,thatisGod,manandnaturearesharesinuniversalsoul,theOversoul.A.EmphasisonSpirit(Oversoul)(超灵)(在超验主义里超灵是无形的，人生活的世界里所有的一切都来自超灵，超灵在人生活的世界里也无所不在)Against“worldismadeofmatter”;against“neglectingofspirituallife”B.EmphasisonindividualsThroughcommunicationwithOversoul,humanbeingcanbedivine(神圣的);Against“totaldepravity”，againstdehumanization(非人化)ofcapitalistworldC.TakingnatureasthesymboloftheSpirit(Oversoul)Encouragingpeopletofindgoodnessandbeautyfromnature;Againstmaterialisminthesocietyandtheactionswhichbroketheharmonybetweenhumanandnatureonlyforprofits;Naturewasthegarment(外衣)oftheOversoul.D.Brotherhoodofman(equalandliberty)Interestedinsocialreforms;endeavortocreateanidealsociety;against“everythingformoney”inthecapitalistworld•超验主义是19世纪美国的一个重要思潮,成为美国思想史上一次重要的思想解放运动。•超验主义者强调万物本质上的统一，万物皆受“超灵”制约，而人类灵魂与“超灵”一致。这种对人之神圣的肯定使超验主义者蔑视外部的权威与传统，依赖自己的直接经验。“相信你自己”这句爱默生的名言，成为超验主义者的座右铭。这种超验主义观点强调人的主观能动性，有助于打破加尔文教的“人性恶”、“命定论”等教条的束缚，为热情奔放，抒发个性的浪漫主义文学奠定了思想基础。•Resources•A.PuritanheritageAttheendofthe18thcenturypeoplegradually