American Renaissance: Art and Expression in the Age of Emerson and WhitmanOxford University Press, 1968 - 678 pages This text has taken its place as the definitive treatment of the most distinguished age of American literature. Centering the discussion around five literary giants of the mid-nineteenth century-Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Whitman. Matthiessen elucidates their conceptions of the nature and function of literature, and the extent to which these were realized in their writings. |
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Ahab Ahab's allegory American analogy artist aware beauty become believed Billy Budd called century chapter character Coleridge conception contrast criticism death declared democratic divine Eliot Emerson England essay Ethan Brand evil experience expression eyes fact feeling felt final Greenough Hawthorne Hawthorne's heart Henry James human ideal imagination Ishmael Israel Potter James journal kind knew language Leaves of Grass less literature living man's Marble Faun Mardi means Melville Melville's ment merely mind Moby-Dick moral nature never observed passage phrase Pierre poem poet poetry prose remark rhetoric rhythm romantic Scarlet Letter scene seems sense sentence Seven Gables Shakespeare sketch soul spirit Starbuck strain style suggested symbol theme things Thoreau thought tion tragedy transcendental transcendentalists truth Twice-Told Tales Van Wyck Brooks verse voice Walden wanted whale Whitman whole words writing wrote