The conflict of convictions : Herman Melville and his contemporaries

Abstract EN

The mid-nineteenth century intellectual landscape was perhaps one of the most intricate and stimulating in the history of America.

During this period, the American mind was deeply divided between two main currents of thought: One was transcendental (optimistic, progressive, mythologizing, and idealistic), while the other was skeptical (pessimistic, retro¬gressive, demythologizing, and realistic).

The former was celebrated by extremely influential figures such as Emerson, Whitman, Thoreau, to name but a few, as the latter was upheld by almost equally potent voices, those of Herman Melville and Nathaniel Hawthorne.

"What is noteworthy about the period under study is how the intellectual tension between the two opposing poles of that conflict reached its apex towards the beginning of the American Civil "War (1861-1865).

One particular incident, which not only triggered but also crystallized a spate of the most profound disputes between prominent figures of both camps, was the controversial death of John Brown, which this essay will try to explore in depth.

"What is even more urgent is the investigation of the multifarious and numerous responses and reactions of the intelligentsia to the incident and how they marked and shaped the ultimate phase of the development of American thought.

In addition, further objectives of this essay include the following: 1.

To demonstrate the peculiarity of American thought and literature of the nineteenth century, which still have their discernible imprint on the modern American mind.

2.

To give a glimpse of the backdrop of the American Civil "War as the most crucial event in American history, which alone led to the birth of the United States of America as we know it today.

.

To introduce not Herman Melville, the novelist of towering stature and fame, but Herman Melville, the poet and lyricist.

This represents the focal point of this study, since the Civil War was the turning point in his intellectual life and the catalyst which saw him move from the land of novel-writing into the space of poetry and rhyme with the publication of his anthology "Battle-Pieces and Aspects of the War".

From this collection, one particular poem has been chosen as representative for the purposes of this essay, not least because of its unique concept and qualities of technique and style.