The American Renaissance: A Literary Coming of Age (1840-1860)

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What period is known as the American Renaissance?

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1840-1860

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What was a significant change in American literature during the American Renaissance?

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American writers no longer looked to the British as literary trendsetters.

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Where did many famous writers of the American Renaissance live?

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Concord, Massachusetts.

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What are the two groups of writers that emerged during the American Renaissance?

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The Transcendentalists and The Dark Romantics.

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What did Transcendentalists believe about man?

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They believed in the 'perfectibility' of man.

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What did Transcendentalists view nature as?

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A doorway to a mystical world holding important truths.

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Who is considered a famous Transcendentalist known for promoting education reform?

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Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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What did Ralph Waldo Emerson mean by 'Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact'?

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He suggested that natural phenomena reflect deeper spiritual truths.

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What is Henry David Thoreau famous for writing?

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Walden.

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What was the significance of Thoreau's 'Resistance to Civil Government'?

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It was written after he was jailed for refusing to pay a poll tax.