Following the time of a growing nation was the New England Renaissance. During this 15 year time period, our country burst into creativity. The Golden Age, or Sunlight era was a time for not only literature, but for growth in cities, industry, technology, and the westward movement. People were free to travel more because of the invention of railroads, and they were able to communicate faster because of the invention of the telegraph. This time also came with struggles such as; child labor, slavery and still very low human rights for minorities. Out of the good and bad of the New England Renaissance, three main artistic groups formed. These groups included; Transcendentalism, Anti-transcendentalism, and Fireside poets. All three of these categories of writing differ from any other type of writing so far. They all contrast with each other greatly. Transcendentalism contradicts everything about Anti-Transcendentalism, which is why this era is so fascinating. None of these groups deal with sciences and given facts, like in the enlightenment era. Religion also is not included in many of the pieces, like in the era …show more content…
They possessed deep faith in human potential, believed all forms of being are spiritually united, and had a reverence for nature. Finding greatness in yourself and celebrating life was a huge deal for these writers. Amazing authors came out of this time period including Walt Whitman, Henry David Thoreau, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. In Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself. there are 52 stanzas that are all about praising himself. He refers to himself like a spotted hawk, expressing his spiritual companionship with nature . Whitman’s Song of Myself is an example of transcendental writing because of the reverence for nature communicated. Since this writing is entirely about how great he thinks he is, it’s clear to see this piece shows a great deal of with in human