Once upon a time, in the small town of Manuscripts, MA, there were three little authors who met in secret: Ralph Waldo Emerson (Emmie); Nathanial Hawthorne (Hawt); and Emily Dickinson, (MD). The three little authors were ahead of their time with literature; especially since most writers in their town were still writing about voyages, politics, and religion. Despite the three authors’ want for change, they had a lot of negative feedback from THE Cult, theologians who did want to let go of their beliefs and ways of the Middle Ages. Even though the authors had support from most citizens, they still feared being ridiculed.

One evening, as they were walking through the tent filled, dirt streets of Manuscripts, the authors heard a noisy crowd. They stopped to see what was going on and found a group arguing over who was going to joust next, for everyone needed to practice before the tournament later that night. MD, Hawt, and Emmy rolled their eyes, annoyed by the insignificant argument, and waddled along.

A few tents ahead, they saw a famous painter, Frederic Edwin Church, painting a religious painting for the church benefit later that evening, here the three authors exchanged looks of glee. They loved seeing the busy citizens because they knew no one would even notice their absence due to the multiple festivities that will take place. As they scurried along the path, they got jostled and bumped against by a belly dancer making her way to the Town Square, practicing her routine for the evening. Frustrated, Emmy yelled, “Hey! Watch out dude!”, MD glared at Emmy and scolded him, “They are all females, don’t call them ‘guys’! You know how I feel about my gender!” Hawt just shook his head and spoke freely, “MD, you know Emmy is a transcendentalist, don’t be so harsh on him!” MD just rolled her eyes and they kept walking.

A couple of more miles down the path and they were at the edge of the town, right by the patch of woods that led to the next town over. Hawt looked behind them to make sure no one was around and all three went into the woods to settle into a hidden tent.

Once inside the tent, they looked and smiled at the only piece of furniture in the tent: a large table and three chairs. In the middle of the table, there was a large stack of blank papers and a cup full of pencils used for writing. The tent was not as big as their living quarters, but it was not meant to be lived in, just used for writing in peace. The three little authors sighed in relief, for they always fear getting caught by THE Cult; however, being inside the hidden tent makes them feel safe and free from the chains of the theologians.

Before the three began writing, they took their routine moment of silence to reflect on what to write. With society’s outlook on religion, the three little authors knew they wanted to transition from that topic to more realistic and contemporary subjects (Article, 2016). Society was harsh on new ideas, so the writers knew their literature could create chaos, resulting in exile or execution. This period brought excitement over possibilities and individual thinking; Americans believed in the goodness of mankind and love for the environment. During the American Renaissance, nature and love were foundations for writers. Hiding from THE Cult was their only option as none of the writers wanted to face negativity for their love of words and writing. 

I love being in this place and the privacy it holds, thought Hawt; he was a very private author with a “prose style, perceptive renderings of New England history, psychological acuity, and vivid characterizations” (Baym, 2012, 369). Hawt knew he wanted to write something daring and out of place for someone of his stature so he sat quite a long time thinking about the perfect story. Hawt loved delving into the dark and gloomy side of literature to give his readers several interpretations of his works and make readers think for themselves. He believed interpretation was self-expression (Baym, 2012)

Hawt helped influence the American Renaissance through several pieces of literature, especially The Scarlet Letter and The Minister’s Black Veil. His symbolic tales of suffering, internal struggle, hypocrisy, and frailty opened many doors for writers in the future. His personal beliefs, of looking past social influences and finding “the truth of the human heart” is seen through his intense character developments, settings, and context (Novel, 2016). Centuries after his publications, Nathanial Hawthorne was and is still seen as a great Romantic author.

Much like Hawt, MD was also thinking about defining her readers and being set apart for society. MD had the privilege of being one of the most prominent writers in times of turmoil and tragedy—the Civil War. She got out her small handmade booklet and began writing, with no thought of her influence on the American Renaissance. Not only was MD a female, her poetry played a special role in her era that was not seen until years later. MD’s poetry spoke to her readers through her use of imagery, and wisdom, questioning attitude.

Most authors in her era used irony and metaphors that reflected originality and uniqueness. MD followed along their path and paved the way for great female writers. Her works expressed “piety and hostility”, but were not short of “honesty, humor, or curiosity” (Baym, 2012, pg. 1659). Poetry became important to American Renaissance literature because it conveyed emotions and beauty that stories could not represent as easily. MD was a master in her works, writing about nature and religion in a manner that spoke depth and clarity.  MD knew that writing was her first love, other than her children, so she sat down to change society one word at a time.

As Emmy sat down to gather his thoughts, he also reflected upon society and how it can influence his works. Being a transcendentalist was important to Emmy because he believed that equality and knowledge “transcends” one into a more enlightened mindset and society; much like Hawt felt. Emmy’s role in American Renaissance literature was inspirational through his essays on “nonconformity, self-reliance, and anti-institutionalism” (Baym, 2012, pg. 211).

Emmy was confident in who he was a person, so much that he resigned as a pastor and moved away from the thoughts of a theologian. He saw “sacred rituals” and unnecessary and refused to delve into the world of religion. Emmy knew being active in writing and fighting for equality were equally important, which is why he started for The Dial, a journal that was the official voice of transcendentalism. Two years after Emerson joined the movement, the journal stopped publication, but Emerson kept writing and publishing (Biography, 2014). The American Renaissance was defined by authors such as Emmy due to their thought process of being an individual in a large society.

As the three little authors were focusing on their work, they heard a loud knock on the outside of the tent. All three jumped from being startled and feared who was on the other side of the canvas. Emmy was the first to move, peeking through the curtain. Emmy slammed the curtain shut in fear of his life and yelled to the others, "RUN! RUN! It's THE Cult! They've found us!"

MD immediately jumped up in freight and started gathering her things while Hawt downed his whiskey and stood, ready for the fight.

Outside, the leader wolf yelled, "Little authors, little authors, let me come in"

Hawt yelled back, "No, no, by the hair of our chiny chin chins, we will not let you in!"

The wolf said, "Then we'll huff and we'll puff, and we'll blow your tent in!" 

So, the wolf turned to his followers and said, "Let's blow this tent over!"

The three little authors were terrified until Emmy jumped up and said, "No! We will not let them defeat us! Let us use our talents and build a bigger, much sturdier house that they cannot tear down! MD and Hawt shook their heads yes and followed Emmy the back way out of the tent, escaping THE Cult.