Transcendentalism, Nature and the Environmental Movement in the United States

Abstract

Transcendentalism is erroneously perceived as a movement that has its origin and end in the nineteenth century. The purpose of this essay is to prove the essence of Transcendentalism is not only present nowadays but is part of American Literature's roots as Asselineau declares in his book “The Transcendentalist Constant in American Literature.” In order to discuss the main themes of the movement "Nature" by Emerson, "The Great Lawsuit" by Fuller and "Resistance to Civil Government" by Thoreau are used and connected to more modern examples. To better understand this movement, it is also necessary to view some of the ideals of its contemporary movement, Romanticism. This paper will be focusing on the symbolism of nature and the Environmental Movement.