Tenets Of Transcendentalism

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Henry David Thoreau, a transcendentalist, moved to the woods to be with nature because he desired to live without the interference of society. Walden, a novel written by Thoreau follows his experiences living in the woods, and consequently, speaks of what he had learned from nature- how to truly live. One of the major tenets of transcendentalism is that the splendors of nature inspire people, Thoreau, takes the tenant to heart as seen through his desire to "learn what it [nature] had to teach" and to "front only the essential facts of life" (Thoreau 23). Thoreau wants to live as if he is nature; every action has a purpose and time is not "frittered away by detail" (Thoreau 35). While being surrounded by nature, he sees how the materialism of

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