Final answer:
Romantic-Era transcendentalists like Thoreau and Emerson emphasized a spiritual and harmonious relationship with nature, focused on self-reliance, and aimed for an 'American literary independence'. In contrast, American Gothic literature, represented by Edgar Allan Poe, tended to explore the darker and supernatural aspects of human experience and nature. Both transcendentalism and Gothic literature provided distinct but related responses to the cultural and historical context of their time.
Step-by-step explanation:
Transcendentalism vs. American Gothic Literature
The contributions of Romantic-Era writers and poets like Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson have been significant in shaping American literature and philosophy. Thoreau's 'Walden' and Emerson's essay 'Nature' are seminal works in the transcendentalist canon, emphasizing the spiritual relationship between humans and nature, advocating for self-reliance, and calling for a personal understanding of the world.
Conversely, the American Gothic literature of the same period, as exemplified by authors like Edgar Allan Poe, often focused on the darker aspects of human experience and the supernatural. While transcendentalists looked toward nature for a mystical, unifying force, Gothic literature often portrayed nature as mysterious, sometimes dangerous, and a setting for the macabre.
Both movements, however, were a response to the historical and cultural context of America at the time and sought to explore the depths of human experience, albeit from different angles. The transcendentalists did this by looking inward and connecting to the world, while the Gothic writers delved into the human psyche's shadows and the horror of the unknown.