Transcendentalism was the first major intellectual movement in U.S. history, championing the inherent divinity of each individual, as well as the value of collective social action. In the mid-nineteenth century, the movement took off, changing how Americans thought about religion, literature, the natural world, class distinctions, the role of women, and the existence of slavery. Edited by the eminent scholar Lawrence Buell, this comprehensive anthology contains the essential writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and their fellow visionaries. There are also reflections on the movement by Charles Dickens, Henry James, Walt Whitman, Louisa May Alcott, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. This remarkable volume introduces the radical innovations of a brilliant group of thinkers whose impact on religious thought, social reform, philosophy, and literature continues to reverberate in the twenty-first century.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was a renowned lecturer and writer whose ideas on philosophy, religion, and literature influenced many writers,… More about Ralph Waldo Emerson
About Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau was born on July 12, 1817, in Concord, Massachusetts. His father worked successively as a farmer, a… More about Henry David Thoreau
About Margaret Fuller
Margaret Fuller (1810–1850), a brilliant intellectual and courageous radical thinker, is most often associated with the Transcendentalist movement of the… More about Margaret Fuller
About Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne (1805–64) was an American novelist and short story writer. He was born in Salem, Massachusetts, and graduated from… More about Nathaniel Hawthorne
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Praise
“Buell is probably the most distinguished living authority on Emerson’s literary circle, the American Transcendentalists.” –Daniel W. Howe, Rhodes Professor of American History emeritus, Oxford University
