The Transparent Eyeball guidebook explores the philosophical bases behind the concepts introduced in the novel and includes excerpts of original works by such philosophers and writers as Henry David Thoreau, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Amos Bronson Alcott, William Wordsworth, Margaret Fuller, and Lydia Maria Child, as well as Immanuel Kant and Benedict Spinoza. The readings will introduce students to various aspects and pillars of the Transcendentalist Movement.

This guidebook can be used by instructors, but it is meant to be a companion book to the novel that enables students to explore the history and the foundations of Transcendentalism. It provides for each set of three novel chapters a summary of the plot developments, an original reading by a major, influential Transcendentalist philosopher or writer, and discussion questions to promote a deep examination of the philosophical concepts and ideas in both the reading and the novel.