Transcendentalism

This activity is given by Megha ma'am as a part of our study to find some books or movies similar to transcendentalism,so here they are !

The term Transcendentalism should be understood first 

Transcendentalism, 19th-century movement of writers and philosophers in New England who were loosely bound together by adherence to an idealistic system of thought based on a belief in the essential unity of all creation, the innate goodness of humanity, and the supremacy of insight over logic and experience for the revelation of the deepest truths. German transcendentalism (especially as it was refracted by Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Thomas Carlyle), Platonism and Neoplatonism, the Indian and Chinese scriptures, and the writings of such mystics as Emanuel Swedenborg and Jakob Böhme were sources to which the New England Transcendentalists turned in their search for a liberating philosophy.

 

Famous Transcendentalists

Ralph Waldo Emerson,

Henry David Thoreau,

Margaret Fuller and 

Walt Whitman.

Transcendentalism Characteristics

Transcendentalism was heavily focused on seeking individual truth and growing to become more and more self-reliant. However, the movement can be described using three essential characteristics or principles: individualism, idealism, and the divinity of nature.

Individualism

As one of the most important beliefs for transcendentalists, individualism means seeking truth through one's own experience rather than relying on the view or opinion of anyone else. For the transcendentalists, this even meant not relying on the ideas and thoughts of other writers and philosophers, despite the fact that most of them were scholars who read many other books. One quote which demonstrates the idea of individualism comes from Emerson's Self-Reliance:

"A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work and done his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace."

This quote demonstrates individualism because it describes how people can only feel happy and at peace by working on the work which is most important to them, and that outside of that there can be no peace or true satisfaction. It highlights the idea of thinking for oneself and trusting their own self to do the best work possible for their own growth.

Another excellent quote which expresses the importance of individualism comes from Henry David Thoreau. Another advocate of transcendentalism, Thoreau spent two years living alone on Walden Pond, taking long walks through the woods and living a simple life in a small cabin. In his long essay, Walden, he writes:

"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived."

Here, Thoreau explicitly describes why he believed spending so much time alone was so important to him. Only by himself, away from the rest of society and learning and growing as an individual, would he be able to really discover truths about life.

Idealism

The second key value of the transcendentalist movement is that of idealism. This value is a little more self-explanatory. Between the Age of Reason and Transcendentalism was the Romanticism movement; similarly to the British Romantics, this movement focused on the use of creativity and imagination, something the Age of Reason obviously greatly strayed from. The focus of idealism in the transcendentalist way of thinking sought to continue to utilize the innovative, imaginative ideas from the previous Romantic Movement. The members of the transcendentalist movement hoped to break away from the strict confines of the Age of Reason, and bring society into a more ideal, enjoyable environment.

Divinity of Nature

The final essential transcendental value is the belief in the divinity of nature. Transcendentalists did not believe in organized religion, but they were very spiritual people. They believed that nature is sacred, and that it is imperative for individuals to connect with nature.

Transcendentalists were lovers of nature, and did not think it was something that could be controlled by anyone. Instead, they believed that the only thing people can control is what is in their own minds. According to transcendentalists, if one senses a strong connection to nature, then he will be able to understand his oversoul and, in effect, be able to live a successful, complete life, free from any constraints placed upon him by conforming to society. The term oversoul is a transcendentalist term, which explains that everything is connected and thus happens for a reason; therefore, transcendentalists also believe that, since nature is divine, we must not interfere with it and leave it be as God intended.

 

The novel written  by Dhruv Bhatt named Tatvamasi,the title is a Sankrit word which means 'That art Thou(That you are). 

As per the characteristics of transcendentalism,the movie named Reva is a similar to the movement of transcendentalism.

 

Reva :

 A Journey Within is a 2018 Gujarati adventure drama film starring Chetan Dhanani and Monal Gajjar produced by Brainbox Studios and Baroda Talkies. The film is based on Gujarati author Dhruv Bhatt's 1998 Gujarati novel Tatvamasi. The film was directed by Rahul Bhole and Vinit Kanojia. It was released on 6 April 2018 to highly positive critic reviews praising performances of cast, story and cinematography and positive commercial acclaim too. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Gujarati.

Karan is a spoiled rich 25-year-old American NRI who has an extravagant life with his needs being at the centre of his world. His grandfather passes away and leaves all his wealth in his will to a charity, an Ashram located at the banks of the Narmada river in India. The only way he could get his wealth back was to convince the Ashram to sign a No Objection Certificate. Thus, Karan embarks on a journey to the remote Ashram with little expectation of the adventures he was about to encounter that would set in motion events beyond his control.

Significant Characters of the Novel : 

Karan : That image of protagonist  named Karan, I find it more significant as his character and the concept of the book that the growth of character with the flow of the novel is noticable here.

 2.Bittu and Banga : Two brothers who are much intelligent and also able to apply their intellect in their lives.

3.Shastri ji :  Shastri ji is a trustee of the Ashram and is taking care of the people by his knowledge of various planets and medicines.

4. Gandu Fakir 

End of the novel is somewhere different than the transcendentalism where character is searching for Reva or goddess Narmada only rather than himself.

Thank you.