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The key to the period appeared to be that the mind
had become aware of itself.
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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Fall 2001 | |
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English 366 (4131) |
Rice 110, (440) 775-6726 |
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TuTh, 1:00-2:15, King
123 |
Office hours: TuW,
2:30-4:00 |
-- Ralph Waldo Emerson
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. . . I should have told them at once that I was a
transcendentalist. That would have been
the shortest way of telling them that they would not understand my explanations. -- Henry David Thoreau |
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On all hands men's existence is converted into a preparation for existence. We do not properly live, in these days; but everywhere with patent inventions and complex arrangements are getting ready to live. The end is lost in the means, life is smothered in appliances. We cannot get to ourselves, there are so many external comforts to wade through. Consciousness stops half way. Reflection is dissipated in the circumstances of our environment. Goodness is exhausted in aids to goodness, and all the vigor and health of the soul is expended in quack contrivances to build it up. -- Frederic Henry Hedge
In the 1830s and 1840s, "transcendentalist" was a derisive label applied
to someone whose philosophy was considered by mainstream Americans to be "vague
and illusive." Those who bore that label frequently positioned themselves at
odds with the dominant beliefs of the day but also differed quite radically
from one another. As James Freeman Clarke noted, the Transcendentalists were
"a club of the likeminded, I suppose because no two of us thought alike." Part
of our work thus involves an investigation into the very nature of the diverse
religio-politico-philosophico-literary movement that is called Transcendentalism.
What (if anything) linked the various participants of the movement? What did
the word "transcendental" mean? What might it mean today? We will organize
our inquiry around the concept of nature, using it to explore the movement and
its ramifications. In addition, we will attend to the ways in which others have
made sense of and responded to Transcendentalist writing. Considering how literary
historians, philosophers, and nature writers have interpreted the Transcendentalists
will enable us to reflect critically on the tenets of the movement, the diverse
body of literature that it produced, its implications for contemporary American
scholars, and reading itself.
In order to discern the nature of Transcendentalism, we will attempt to know that nature as "transcendentally" as we can -- that is, we will try to understand Transcendentalism from the inside, as it were, rather than viewing it exclusively from some sort of (questionably) detached position. This means participating in intellectual activities similar to those that the Transcendentalists themselves practiced. Lectures, conversations, addresses, and three types of writing (journals, letters, and essays) will be enlisted in order to help us think through our readings more thoroughly (Thoreauly?).
Readings
The Transcendentalists were eclectic and engaged readers, believers in what Emerson termed "the use of literature": learning about and changing one's world through careful attention to texts. This semester we will be "using" The Transcendentalists (Perry Miller, ed.); Emerson's Prose & Poetry (Joel Porte, ed.); The Portable Thoreau (Carl Bode, ed.); Pilgrim at Tinker Creek (Annie Dillard); Down the River (Edward Abbey); Our Preposterous Use of Literature: Emerson & the Nature of Reading (T.S. McMillin), and a selection of other writings on reserve.
Lectures
An important component of Transcendentalism, these were at once sermons, forms of entertainment, interpretations of other literary works, exhortations, provocations. . . . Although I will be mostly responsible for lectures, they will be largely interactive; your participation -- through your attentive listening, your questions and responses to others' -- is essential to their significance.
Conversations
Lectures were not the only Transcendentalist mode of intellectual exchange. Discussion of important questions with colleagues, argument over issues, mindful sharing of ideas, and continued reflection occurred in formal and informal conversations. Conversing was elevated from the exchange of pleasantries to become a lively and enlightening (though often frustrating) way of thinking through matters of religion, politics, philosophy, education, literature. Frequently, we will meet during class (in groups of 5) to discuss (ardently, I hope, and with the will to learn) questions raised from our engagements with readings, addresses, and lectures.
Journals
Every Transcendentalist worth her or his salt kept a journal or notebook, in which were recorded observations, events, thoughts, scraps of poems, drawings, fragments of philosophy. Portions of these journals often appeared in more formal, "public" writing; in the cases of Thoreau, Emerson, and Fuller, the journal was elevated to the status of a work of art. Accordingly, each student will keep a journal throughout the semester, in any manner she or he prefers, to be used as grist for other writing in the course and/or as an end in itself.
Letters
Correspondence was an important way of communicating and of working through intellectual matters for the Transcendentalists. Students will write 1-page letters periodically, in which they will articulate issues that interest them in their own transcendental engagements of the world, and will write responses to fellow students' letters.
Essays
Along with poetry and journals, essays were the most prominent form of writing among Emerson and his coevals. Students will attempt to develop their skills in this genre on at least two occasions -- at mid-term (due 12 October) and at semester's end (due 19 December). These essays should draw from the other forms of writing practiced for the course.
Addresses
To address a large group of people is to direct their attention to certain matters as convincingly as possible, and some of the Transcendentalists became quite effective at productively provoking their audiences. Each student will present a 3-5 minute "mini-address" aimed at causing us to consider issues arising from our study from the angle she or he deems most salient.
Participation
In sum, student responsibilities are many and multifarious. One-third of the course grade will be based on in-class participation, one-third on the final essay, and one-third on other writing. To receive at least a passing grade, students must: complete all readings, attend all class meetings, keep (and be prepared to submit for cursory inspection) a Journal, deliver a brief but formal Address (and pay close attention to the Addresses of others), participate actively in Conversations, deliver (in a timely fashion) all assigned Letters and Responses, participate fully in the mid-term essay endeavor, and submit a Final Essay (12-15 pages).
Calendar
4 September -- Introduction
6 September -- Emerson, "The Transcendentalist" (93-104); Miller, The Transcendentalists (1-15)
11 September -- Miller, The Transcendentalists (247-283, 303-314)
13 September -- Miller, The Transcendentalists (294-303, 315-421); addresses
18 September -- Emerson, "Nature" (27-55) & "The American Scholar" (56-69); McMillin, Our Preposterous Use of Literature (97-114)
20 September -- Miller, The Transcendentalists (422-482); Kern, "The Rise of Transcendentalism 1815 -1860" (in Clark, 247-314); Hochfield, "New England Transcendentalism" (in Cunliffe, 135-167); addresses
25 September -- Emerson, "An Address" (69-81) & "The Method of Nature" (81-93); McMillin, Our Preposterous Use of Literature (13-33, 72-96)
27 September -- Yom Kippur
2 October -- Emerson, "Self-Reliance" (120-37) & "The Over-Soul" (163-74); McMillin, Our Preposterous Use of Literature (34-50)
4 October -- Emerson, "Circles" (174-82) & "Experience" (198-213); McMillin, Our Preposterous Use of Literature (139-49); addresses
8 October -- Midterm essay due
9 October -- Emerson biographies; McMillin, Our Preposterous Use of Literature (51-71)
11 October -- Midterm responses due
12 October -- Midterm Project due
16 October -- Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek
18 October -- Dillard, Pilgrim at Tinker Creek; addresses
23 October -- Break
25 October -- Break
30 October -- Thoreau, "Walking" (592-630)
1 November -- Thoreau, "A Winter Walk" (57-75) & "Civil Disobedience" (109-37); addresses
6 November -- Cavell, "Words"; Fritzell, "Walden & Paradox: Thoreau as Self-Conscious Ecologist"
8 November -- Thoreau, Walden; addresses
13 November -- Thoreau, Walden
15 November -- Thoreau, Walden; addresses
20 November -- Thoreau, Walden
22 November -- Thanksgiving
27 November -- Abbey, Down the River
29 November -- Abbey, Down the River; addresses
4 December -- Projects
6 December -- Projects
11 December -- Abbey, Down the River
13 December -- Evaluations & Farewell
19 December -- Final Essay due