The most well-known American transcendentalists are Emerson and Thoreau, but their works could not have come into being outside of the complex and eccentric circle within which they moved. In this course we shall read Emerson and Thoreau's works alongside those of their friends and associates, including Bronson Alcott, Margaret Fuller, Orestes Brownson, and Theodore Parker, to gain a sense of the diversity of the movement, which encompassed church reforms, educational experiments, and utopian communes. We will also read the hostile and satiric voices of contemporary critics of the transcendentalists to understand the radicalism of this now-hallowed movement. Critical questions will center around the problems posed by writings founded in religious fervor, the interaction between argument and artistry which marks the ambition to change a society through writing, and the advantages and disadvantages of historical context as a methodology. Format: discussion/seminar. Requirements: two 5-page papers and an 8- to 10-page final paper. Prerequisites: a 100-level English course, except 150. Enrollment limit: 25 (expected: 20). (1700-1900)