RetroDarling

I love studying the Transcendentalist poets! In a British lit class we discussed the transcendentalists’ belief in the “sublime,” almost literally a high achieved from being in nature. That subliminal state, they believed, brought one closer to the divine. Also within the movement was the creation of utopian societies which focused on an austere lifestyle and self-sufficiency; Louisa May Alcott’s father, Bronson Alcott, along with Thoreau and Emerson participated in this offshoot of transcendentalism. Although Bronson was horrible with finances, so his “experiment” I believe Louisa called it, failed and created some resentment in her youth.

I love this discourse! This also reminds of the Transcendentalist poets of this time period who believed in the “sublime,” almost literally a high achieved from being in nature. That subliminal state, they believed, brought one closer to the divine. Also within the movement was the creation of utopian societies which focused on an austere lifestyle and self-sufficiency; Louisa May Alcott’s father, Bronson Alcott, along with Thoreau and Emerson participated in this offshoot of transcendentalism. An example of this within LM Alcott’s work is in the lifestyle of the March sisters; however, the Marches lived during the Civil War, so their austere lifestyle could be perceived as a war-time occurrence/anomaly.

Fascinating perspective! One could argue that an overarching exercise in denial is that of change within the south, more specifically fear of change and maintenance of the status quo. A Streetcar Named Desire also explores that theme through the symbolism of Stanley–young, most-likely of Eastern European descent, and of a lower socioeconomic status–seemingly “invading” the old southern family represented by Stella and Blanche.