Transcend-Symbolists: A Joining of Two Philosophies By the mid nineteenth century, there had arisen two prominent groups of writers with very different philosophies, the Transcendentalists and the Symbolists. The Transcendentalists, among the ranks of which were Ralph Waldo Emerson and Henry David Thoreau, could be considered optimistic in their writing. The two most basic tenets of Transcendentalism (there were five all together) were that the individual is innately good and that nature was the purest …showed first 75 words of 1196 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1196 total…philosophies can lead one to find his own ideas and maybe learn something along the way. End Notes 1Henry David Thoreau, Walden [excerpt], American Literature (Mission Hills, CA: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987) 174. 2Henry David Thoreau, Walden [excerpt], American Literature (Mission Hills, CA: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987) 176. 3Henry David Thoreau, Walden [excerpt], American Literature (Mission Hills, CA: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987) 176. WORK CITED Thoreau, Henry David. Walden [excerpt], American Literature. George Kearns (Director). Mission Hills, CA: Macmillan Publishing Company, 1987.