The Impact on Emersonism of Transcendentalism and Romanticism in Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Carlyle

Khrisat, Abdulhafeth Ali (1990) The Impact on Emersonism of Transcendentalism and Romanticism in Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Carlyle. PhD thesis, University of Glasgow.

Abstract

Emerson, the New England Transcendentalist made his European pilgrimage in 1832 during which he met his idols, Wordsworth, Coleridge, and Carlyle. This trio's thoughts were eventually reflected in his writings. This is not to say that Emerson was a mere imitator. In fact, he was highly original in the sense that his writings reflect his own creative mode of expression and style, reworking and refashioning many ideas already found in the older and more complex culture all this resulted in the formulation of Emersonism. Emersonism refers to the philosophical and romantic components, especially the former, of Emerson's own particular brand of Transcendentalism. The essential characteristics of New England Transcendentalism only partly explain Emersonism. Emerson's achievement was to make a union of German Transcendentalism with traditional Christianity of a Unitarian cast, of Orientalism and Platonism, including some ideas probably of his own and to express it in terms purely Emersonian. Therefore, to trace various sources of Emersonism would be a hard task. Of special concern for the present study is the British influence on Emersonism as exemplified in the works of the two English men, Wordsworth and Coleridge, and the Scotsman Carlyle. The roots of Emersonism are of no small importance. It is one thing to acknowledge the English influence and quite another to demonstrate it in detail. The latter is the purpose of this study. Chapter I will provide an in-depth view of Transcendentalism, with an emphasis on its formal and philososophical roots, the New England transcendentalists, and, more importantly, Emersonism. Chapter II will expand on the concept of Romanticism both in its European background and in particular as found in the British authors of major concern for Emersonism. Chapters III, IV, and V will detail the specific influences of these authors on Emersonism. Finally, a concluding Chapter, VI, will provide an overview and conclusions to the study.

• Item Type: Thesis (PhD)
• Qualification Level: Doctoral
• Keywords: British & Irish literature, Comparative literature
• Date of Award: 1990
• Depositing User: Enlighten Team
• Unique ID: glathesis:1990-77298
• Copyright: Copyright of this thesis is held by the author.
• Date Deposited: 14 Jan 2020 11:53
• Last Modified: 14 Jan 2020 11:53
• URI: https://theses.gla.ac.uk/id/eprint/77298