Which of the following authors was heavily influenced by Transcendentalism, despite his more pessimistic view of human nature?
Show answer and explanation
Correct answer: Nathaniel Hawthorne
Nathaniel Hawthorne lived among the Transcendentalists in Concord and even took part in the Brook Farm experiment, yet his fiction dwells on guilt, sin, and the darker side of human nature rather than Transcendentalist optimism. This tension places him among the 'Anti-Transcendentalists,' unlike Walt Whitman, whose poetry in 'Leaves of Grass' embraced Emerson's optimistic vision of the self.
Keep practicing
More Transcendentalism questions
- Thoreau's famous quote, 'The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation,' appears in which work?
- What was the significance of 'The Dial' in the 1840s?
- How did Emerson and Thoreau differ in their approach to the natural world?
- Which Transcendentalist was also a leader in educational reform and the father of the author of 'Little Women'?
- In 'Self-Reliance,' Emerson argues that 'A foolish consistency is the ______.'
- What was the Transcendentalist view of the Industrial Revolution?