ABSTRACT

Transcendentalism is not just a literary movement,but also a thought emancipation movement.It is a tremendous driving force and dominant power underlying American Renaissance,which stands for the peak level of its development.The most prominent achievement of transcendentalism lies in prose.This dissertation places transcendental prose within the global landscape with particular reference to the comparison of ancient Greek and Chinese ancient essays,which aims to provide us with a fresh cognitive approach for the comprehensive survey of the spiritual essence,cultural and artistic character of transcendental prose,and a platform for equal dialogue between cross-cultural prose.

The dissertation is composed of three parts: preface,main body,and conclusion.The preface launches into the topic in a straightforward manner:transcendental movement was a pioneer of American literature independence.The main body consists of three parts.Chapter One,“Comparative Study with the New Testament: Integration of Secularity and Admonition”,explores how secularity and admonition get integrated,demonstrating that the common bond of their integration is that both writers take on the responsibilities of being priests.Chapter Two,“The Comparative Study with the Ming-Qing Prose—the Integration of Creation and Conservation”,makes a comparative study on literary forms,subjectivity,and aesthetic orientation,with particular emphasis on creativity.and dwells on the conservatism of transcendental prose.Chapter three,“The Linear Comb of American Prose”,shows that artistic vitality and expressive power of American prose is closely related to transcendentalism.We can even say that we can foresee the decline and rise of American prose through the mere analysis of transcendental prose.The last chapter is conclusion.This part will supply significant guides for the appreciation,criticism,creation of modern prose,and the theory building of prose.