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Thoreau's departure from American Puritan tradition: The self and divinity

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Date Issued:
1999
Summary:
This study examines Thoreau's poetic quest, discovering in his works a departure from the tradition of American Puritan orthodoxy. The American Puritans "ached" for certainty of salvation. This ache manifested itself by circumscribed introspection and individual freedom checked by tradition, community, and the Past. Orthodoxy held with ferocious certainty the dogma of "Innate Depravity." Dismissing certainty, Thoreau countered Puritan deprecation of Self with exaltation of Self. His quest--based upon spiritual Selfhood and Freedom--is fired by "Poetic Uncertainty," and centers upon Self separate yet intimate with Nature, Self's divinity as expressive of God's, "Sublime Belatedness," and the Past. Thoreau thus offers a uniquely "American" spirituality. His poetic quest exemplifies his unique stand in the spiritual history of our country.
Title: Thoreau's departure from American Puritan tradition: The self and divinity.
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Name(s): Busch, Alan M.
Florida Atlantic University, Degree grantor
Kurjiaka, Susan K. H., Thesis advisor
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1999
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 204 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: This study examines Thoreau's poetic quest, discovering in his works a departure from the tradition of American Puritan orthodoxy. The American Puritans "ached" for certainty of salvation. This ache manifested itself by circumscribed introspection and individual freedom checked by tradition, community, and the Past. Orthodoxy held with ferocious certainty the dogma of "Innate Depravity." Dismissing certainty, Thoreau countered Puritan deprecation of Self with exaltation of Self. His quest--based upon spiritual Selfhood and Freedom--is fired by "Poetic Uncertainty," and centers upon Self separate yet intimate with Nature, Self's divinity as expressive of God's, "Sublime Belatedness," and the Past. Thoreau thus offers a uniquely "American" spirituality. His poetic quest exemplifies his unique stand in the spiritual history of our country.
Identifier: 9780599218697 (isbn), 15646 (digitool), FADT15646 (IID), fau:12403 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1999.
Subject(s): Thoreau, Henry David,--1817-1862--Religion and ethics
Puritans
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/15646
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: Florida Atlantic University Digital Library Collections.