After spending the morning crawling around Quabbin Park with the local mycologists, the afternoon found me among the more cultivated environs of the "Poetry in the Garden" event at the Emily Dickinson Museum in Amherst. Local author Todd Felton discussed the history and philosophies presented in his book "A Journey into Transcendentalists' New England" and how these influenced, despite her relative isolation, Emily Dickinson's poetry. The full text of his remarks can be found at:
http://www.redroom.com/blog/robert-todd-felton/remarks-poetry-garden-event-emily-dickinson-museum
Todd proposed in his book that Transcendentalism was forged by a growing desire for some individuals to turn away from the strict controls of colonial era Puritanism and find an "original relationship to the universe".
Todd proposed in his book that Transcendentalism was forged by a growing desire for some individuals to turn away from the strict controls of colonial era Puritanism and find an "original relationship to the universe".