Transcendentalism, Realism, Naturalism, And...

Transcendentalism, Realism, Naturalism, and Existentialism- shaped the advancement of American literature. They were considered to be theoretical and political philosophies which held important positions in the development of modern literature. The original authors, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Mark Twain, Lawrence Sargent Hall, and Jerome David Salinger, presented works inspiring new perspectives and social outlooks upon reality and it’s offerings. Through characterizing the progress of the philosophies, the development of American literature is explained. Transcendentalism describes the idea that knowledge comes through intuition and imagination instead of logic or the senses. In the essay, Nature, by Ralph Waldo Emerson, he begins it with the†¦show more content†¦With great interest for the truth, he promoted the representative to the extraordinary, â€Å"Men keep harems, but it is by brute force, privileged by atrocious laws [...]† (Twain, 284). This implied that n o harm was done between animals, but men were incapable of thriving together. Humans damaged the confidence of one another instead of appreciating the presence of each other, like the animals. As stated by Twain, men created â€Å"Indecency, vulgarity, obscenity ï ¼  these are strictly confined to man; he invented them† (182). There was no such thing as humiliation or covering up because of the lack of embarrassment in the animal world. Shamefully, individuals who collect more money than needed without the intention of sharing with the community only do it to please their ego. â€Å"The squirrels and bees and certain birds made accumulations, but stopped when they had gathered a winter’s supply of and could not be persuaded to add to it† (181). Animals take what is needed and do not show indication of greed. Mark Twain used American humor to understand the plain style of Realism. In The Ledge, by Lawrence Sargent Hall, Naturalism was revealed through outside p erspectives, detail accuracy, and biological controls. In-depth detail allowed the imagination to gather its own interpretations of situations by observing the characters’ reactions. An outside perspective showed the relationship held between the father/uncle, son, and nephew. â€Å"Always in