Transcendentalism was a movement in the early to mid-19th century that embraced new ideas in literature, religion, and culture. It was a protest to intellectualism and the doctrine of the Unitarian Church. It was a belief that people can reach a spiritual state by utilizing their intuition, and not by learned doctrines and religious teachings. The period from roughly 1830 through the 1860's saw the growth of one of the most exotic intellectual movements ever to take root in American soil. Led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the New England Transcendentalists mounted an attack on social, intellectual, religious and political beliefs.

1. Transcendentalism
and Indian
Philosophy,
Religion

2. Personal information
Name - Hina Parmar
Roll no - 10
Sem - 2(M.A.)
Enrollment no - 4069206420220021
Batch - 2022-24
Email- hinaparmar612@gmail.com
Subject – Transcendentalism and Indian
Philosophy, Religion
Paper code - 22401
Paper no - 108
Paper - The American Literature
Submitted to - Department of English,
M.K.B.U

3. Points to ponder
• Nineteenth century American
literature
• What is "Transcendentalism"
• Two types of Transcendentalism in
America.
• Henry David Thoreau on
Transcendentalism
• Emerson and Indian Philosophy
• Conclusion

4. Introduction
Recent criticism has increasingly focused on
the native qualities of nineteenth century
American literature. Charles Feidelson, was
among the first to emphasize its symbolic
Character, arguing that American writers like
Emerson, Whitman, Hawthorn, and Melville
all seek to understand the world in symbolic
terms in their efforts to unveil the significance
behind the phenomenal world.
(Roland Hagenbuchle)

5. What is Transcendentalism?
Transcendentalism was a movement in the early to mid-
19th century that embraced new ideas in literature, religi
on, and culture. It was a protest to intellectualism and
the doctrine of the Unitarian Church. It was a belief that
people can reach a spiritual state by utilizing their intuition,
and not by learned doctrines and religious teachings.
(Sharma)
The period from roughly 1830 through the 1860‘s saw the
growth of one of the most exotic intellectual movements ever
to take root in American soil.
(Duane E Smith)

6. Led by Ralph Waldo Emerson, the New
England Transcendentalists mounted an
attack on social, intellectual, religious and
political beliefs.
Henry David Thoreau was so Transcendent
that he resisted official membership in this,
as in any other group. There can be no
doubt, however, that for our purposes he
must be included.
(Duane E. Smith)

7. Two Types of Transcendentalism in America
There are two types of Transcendentalism in America-
1. Franco American Type
2. German American Type
1) There is a tradition that New England transcendentalism was
"made in Germany." This tradition has been allowed to grow by a
double default, both through The superness of American scholars,
and through the positive propaganda of German culture, it has
remained for a franco American to dispose of of the matter, by
showing that theAmerican transcendental movement with its
idealism and individualism, was but part of the greater movement
of European romanticism.
2) Girald had done great service in disposing of the fable of the
preponderant influence of German philosophy upon New England
transcendentalism. ( Riley, Woodbridge)

8. Henry David Thoreau on Transcendentalism
Thoreau was one of the leading figures in the Transcendentalist
movement which held on to Walden pond that the human
connection with nature is necessary for intellectual and moral
stability. Through his writings, Thoreau was able to impart his
beliefs on how people should live in order to transcend the
materialistic world. By living simply and without many material
goods, a person can be in the world, but not of the world. By using
the influence of Emerson, Thoreau became one of the leading
influences of the transcendentalist movement. (Sharma)
Besides Emerson and Thoreau, four other distinguished Americans
of the period Alcott the Teacher, Whittier the Quaker, Melville the
Rover and Whitman the Mystic showed an interest in Indian
philosophic thought and in turn were influenced by it. (Sharma)

9. Emerson and Indian Philosophy
Two quite different American philosophers looked upon Emersons
concern with indian philosophy as a kind of aberration, who are -
William Torrey Harries
Charles Sanders Peirce
Emerson is the leading exponent of Indian thought among the
Transcendentalists, many of whom saw it as not only curious to the rising
American materialism.
Thoreau, like other Transcendentalists, had a breath and catholicity
of mind which brought him to the study of religions of India. From
the beginning he was disillusioned with organized Christianity as he
never went to Church and like Emerson showed great interest in
Hinduism and its philosophy. ( Dale, Riepe)

10. In comparison to Hebraism, Thoreau
found Hinduism superior in many ways. The following passage
demonstrates Thoreau’s disenchantment with Hebraism and his
love for Hinduism.
The lofty concept of man embodied in Hinduism appealed to
Thoreau. Praising such a concept he writes: “In the Hindoo
scripture the idea of man is quite illimitable and sublime. There is
nowhere a loftier conception of his destiny.
He is at length lost in Brahma himself ‘the divine male.
In his Transcendental thoughts, the world is a
large conglomerate into one big divine family.
He finds beside his Walden pond "the
servant of the Brahmin, priest of Brahma and Vishnu and Indr
a, who still sits in his temple on the Ganga reading the Vedas…"
their buckets "grate together in the same well.
(Sharma)

11. The pure Walden water is mingled with
the sacred water of the Ganga"
Thoreau, the Concord sage, said, “T
he Vedanta teaches how by
‘forsaking religious rites’ the votary
may obtain purification of mind.” And
“One sentence of the Gita, is worth
the State of
Massachusetts many times over."
(Sharma)

12. Conclusion
Thoreau's reading of literature on India and the Vedas
was extensive: he took them seriously. I feel proud to
quote Thoreau's statement as evidence of a true
Transcendentalist “If a man does not keep pace
with his companions, perhaps it is because he hear
s a different drummer” to reveal Thoreau’s belief that
every man must transcend the current sociological
ideals.
(Sharma)

13. Citation
Hagenbüchle, Roland. “American Literature and the Nineteenth-Century Crisis in Epistemology: The Example of Charles
Brockden Brown.” Early American Literature, vol. 23, no. 2, 1988, pp. 121–51. JSTOR,
http://www.jstor.org/stable/25056711. Accessed 13 Mar. 2023.
Riepe, Dale. “Emerson and Indian Philosophy.” Journal of the History of Ideas, vol. 28, no. 1, 1967, pp. 115–22. JSTOR,
https://doi.org/10.2307/2708485. Accessed 13 Mar. 2023.
Riley, Woodbridge. “Two Types of Transcendentalism in America.” The Journal of Philosophy, Psychology and Scientific
Methods, vol. 15, no. 11, 1918, pp. 281–92. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/2940664. Accessed 13 Mar. 2023.
Sharma, Vipin. “(PDF) Henry David Thoreau: A True American Transcendentalist - Researchgate.” Henry David Thoreau: A
True American Transcendentalist , Jan. 2012,
www.researchgate.net/publication/283792945_Henry_David_Thoreau_A_True_American_Transcendentalist.
Smith, Duane E. “Romanticism in America: The Transcendentalists.” The Review of Politics, vol. 35, no. 3, 1973, pp. 302–
25. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/1406035. Accessed 13 Mar. 2023.

14. Thank You