Transcendentalism

Question 1

Transcendentalism

Answer 1

Transcendentalism was a movement in the 1800s that focused on the idea that people could find truth and meaning through their own intuition and a close connection to nature.
Transcendentalists believed that nature was sacred and could teach important spiritual lessons.
They also valued independence, self-reliance, and living a simple life, rather than following society’s rules or focusing on material things.
They thought that all living things were connected through a universal spirit, which they called the “Oversoul”.
Famous writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau shared these ideas in their works, encouraging people to think for themselves and find inspiration in nature.

Question 2

Gothic

Answer 2

Gothic literature explores themes of fear, horror, and the supernatural.
It often features gloomy settings like old castles, haunted houses, or dark forests, and includes elements like ghosts, mysterious events, and madness.
Gothic stories create a sense of suspense and terror, emphasizing the unknown and the unsettling.
Famous examples include Edgar Allan Poe’s works (The Tell-Tale Heart and The Fall of the House of Usher) and Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The House of the Seven Gables.

Question 3

Dark Romanticism

Answer 3

Dark Romanticism focuses on the flaws of human nature, including sin, guilt, and the capacity for evil.
Dark Romantics believed that life wasn’t always perfect or optimistic. They explored the struggle between good and evil in the human soul.
Writers like Hawthorne and Herman Melville (Moby-Dick: Novel by Herman Melville) used these themes to show the complexity and darkness of human experience.