nature

Nature-RalphWaldoEmersonRalphWaldoEmerson(1803-1882)•Americanphilosopher,poet,essayist•FounderofAmericanTranscendentalistmovementinthe19thcenturyHislife•EmersonwasborninMassachusetts,Boston.HegraduatedfromHarvardDivinitySchool(哈佛神学院）andbeganpreachingChristianityin1829.•Threeyearslater,heresignedhispostasapreacherbecausehewasdoubtableabouttraditionalreligions.•In1836,hefirstpublished“Nature”andelaboratedhisideas.ThisbookinauguratedNewEnglandTranscendentalism.Soonhebecamealeaderofthismovement.WhatisTranscendentalism?•Transcendentalismwasaliterarymovementthatflourishedduringthemiddle19thCentury(1836–1860)inNewEngland.•ItbeganasarebellionagainsttraditionallyheldbeliefsbytheEnglishChurchthatGodsupersededtheindividual（Calvinism加尔文主义）.Itstressedintuitiveunderstandingofgodwithoutthehelpofthechurch,andadvocatedindependenceofthemind.CoreBeliefsofTranscendentalism•Findingitsrootintheword“transcend,”Transcendentalistsbelievedindividualscouldtranscendtoahigherbeingofexistenceinnature.•Godislocatedinthesoulofeachindividual.•Humanity’spotentialislimitless.•Experienceisvaluedoverscholarship.NatureisanessaywrittenbyRalphWaldoEmerson,publishedanonymouslyin1836.Itisinthisessaythatthefoundationoftranscendentalismisputforth,abeliefsystemthatespousesanon-traditionalappreciationofnature.•Theessayconsistsoftheintroductionpartandeightchapters.•TheyareNature,Commodity,Beauty,Language,Discipline,Idealism,SpiritandProspectsrespectively.•Nature(1836),amajorcontributiontoAmericanRomanticismandTranscendentalism,wasfavorablyreceivedamonghisfriends.Emerson’stranscendentalism:Theover-soul（超灵）—itisanall-pervadingpowergoodness,fromwhichallthingscomeandofwhichallareapart.Itisasupremerealityofmind,aspiritualunityofallbeingsandareligion.Generally,theover-soulreferredtospiritofGodasthemostimportantthingintheuniverse.Itisacommunicationbetweenanindividualsoulandtheuniversalover-soul.Andhestronglybelievesinthedivinity（神学）andinfinityofmanasanindividual,somancantotallyrelyonhimself.•Theindividual,notthecrowd,isthemostimportantofall.Ifamandependsonhimself,cultivateshimselfandbringsoutthedivinehimself,hecanhopetobecomebetterandevenperfect.Mainfeatures•Itplacedemphasisonspirit,ortheover-soul（超灵）•Itstressedtheimportanceoftheindividual.•Itofferedafreshperceptionofnatureasasymbleofthespiritofoverwhelmingpresence.Spiritispresenteverywhere.Representativeworks•Nature(abookwhichdeclaredthebirthofTranscendentalism)•Someotheressayspreachinghisthoughts:ThePoet,Self-relianceTheAmericanScholar(American'sDeclarationofIntellectualIndependence)•InBritain,SamuelJohnson’sLettertoLordChesterfieldiscalledtheDeclarationofIntellectualIndependenceIntermsofAmericanliterature,Emerson’stranscendentalismnotonlyenrichedthecontentandthemeinAmericanwritingbutalsomadeabreakthroughinexpressionforms.HisInfluence•TheBritishcriticMatthewArnoldsaidthemostimportantwritingsinEnglishinthe19thcenturyhadbeenWordsworth'spoemsandEmerson'sessays.•Asagreatprose-poet,EmersoninfluencedalonglineofAmericanpoets,includingWaltWhitman（惠特曼）,EmilyDickinson（迪金森）,EdwinArlingtonRobinson,WallaceStevens,HartCrane,andRobertFrost.•HenryDavidThoreauhadreadNatureasasenioratHarvardCollegeandtookittoheart.IteventuallybecameanessentialinfluenceforThoreau'slaterwritings,includinghisseminalWalden.Infact,ThoreauwroteWaldenwhilelivinginaself-builtcabinonlandthatEmersonowned.TheirlongstandingacquaintanceofferedThoreaugreatencouragementinpursuinghisdesiretobeapublishedauthor.HemadetheacquaintancewithHenryDavidThoreau(梭罗)whowasalsoanactiveTranscendentalist.ThoreauhelpedEmersontoedittheTranscendentalistjournal,theDialandwassusceptibletoOrientalinfluencessuchasHinduismandConfucianism.ThoreauEmersonpossessesacheerfuloptimism.Hebelievesthatthereisforcethatcanmakethebadgoodandthegoodbetter.Goodisagooddoctor,andBadisabetterdoctor.Angelsmustalwaysbestrongerthandemons.Butbecauseofhisidealism（唯心主义）andover-stressonindividualism,histranscendentalismstillhasitslimitsanddemerits.Inmoderntimesheissometimesdismissedashavingnosenseofevil,andhisoptimisticphilosophyassomuchTranscendentalistfolly.Hisattitudetowardsnature:Emersonlovesnature.Hisnatureisthegarmentoftheover-soul,symbolicandmoralbound.Natureisnotsomethingpurelyofthematter,butalivewithGod’spresence.Itexercisesahealthyandrestorativeinfluenceonhumanbeings.Childrencanseenaturebetterthanadult.Text•Totryandseelifeasachilddoes•Tolookatlifeeachdaywithfresheyes•Toconstantlylearnfromnature•TheimportanceofunityandharmonybetweenmankindnatureandGod•Togointosolitude,amanneedstoretireasmuchfromhischamberasfromsociety.(para1)•Hesetupaclaimtosupportself-cultivationandthoughtonlywhenhumanbeingswerealoneandstayedinsolitudethattheirinherenttalentscouldbebroughttofullplay.•Natureistheembodimentofhuman’smind.Joyfulnaturerepresentshappiness,whilesadnatureshowssorrow.Paragraph1Butifamanwouldbealone,lethimlookatthestars....lighttheuniversewiththeiradmonishingsmile.Theobservationofstarscanleadmantobealone,which,inturn,makesmanbelieveandadoretheirsublimeandadmonition.Paragraph2•Thestarsawakenacertainreverenc