Originally published between 1909 and 1917 under the name "Harvard Classics," this stupendous 51-volume set-a collection of the greatest writings from literature, philosophy, history, and mythology-was assembled by American academic CHARLES WILLIAM ELIOT (1834-1926), Harvard University's longest-serving president. Also known as "Dr. Eliot's Five Foot Shelf," it represented Eliot's belief that a basic liberal education could be gleaned by reading from an anthology of works that could fit on five feet of bookshelf. Volume V features two collections from American poet and philosopher RALPH WALDO EMERSON (1803-1882): Essays-on such topics as "The American Scholar," "Self-Reliance," "Friendship," "Heroism," and more-and English Traits, in which he examines the British character as gathered from his travels in England.
A new, wide-ranging selection of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s most influential writings, this edition captures the essence of American Transcendentalism and illustrates the breadth of one of America’s greatest philosophers and poets. The writings featured here show Emerson as a protester against social conformity, a lover of nature, an activist for the rights of women and slaves, and a poet of great sensitivity. As explored in this volume, Emersonian thought is a unique blend of belief in individual freedom and in humility before the power of nature. “I become a transparent eyeball,” Emerson wrote in Nature, “I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.” Written over a century ago, this passage is a striking example of the passion and originality of Emerson’s ideas, which continue to serve as a spiritual center and an ideological base for modern thought.
Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882). -- Philosopher, was b. at Boston, Massachusetts. His f. was a minister there, who had become a Unitarian, and who d. in 1811, leaving a widow with six children, of whom Ralph, then aged 8, was the second. Mrs. E. was, however, a woman of energy, and by means of taking boarders managed to give all her sons a good education. E. entered Harvard in 1817 and, after passing through the usual course there, studied for the ministry, to which he was ordained in 1827, and settled over a congregation in his native city. There he remained until 1832, when he resigned, ostensibly on a difference of opinion with his brethren on the permanent nature of the Lord's Supper as a rite, but really on a radical change of view in regard to religion in general, expressed in the maxim that "the day of formal religion is past." About the same time he lost his young wife, and his health, which had never been robust, showed signs of failing. In search of recovery he visited Europe, where he met many eminent men and formed a life-long friendship with Carlyle. On his return in 1834 he settled at Concord, and took up lecturing. In 1836 he pub. Nature, a somewhat transcendental little book which, though containing much fine thought, did not appeal to a wide circle. The American Scholar followed in 1837. Two years previously he had entered into a second marriage. His influence as a thinker rapidly extended, he was regarded as the leader of the transcendentalists, and was one of the chief contributors to their organ, The Dial. The remainder of his life, though happy, busy, and influential, was singularly uneventful. In 1847 he paid a second visit to England, when he spent a week with Carlyle, and delivered a course of lectures in England and Scotland on "Representative Men," which he subsequently pub. English Traits appeared in 1856. In 1857 The Atlantic Monthly was started, and to it he became a frequent contributor. In 1874 he was nominated for the Lord Rectorship of the Univ. of Glasgow, but was defeated by Disraeli. He, however, regarded his nomination as the greatest honour of his life. After 1867 he wrote little. He d. on April 27, 1882. His works were coll. in 11 vols., and in addition to those above mentioned include Essays (two series), Conduct of Life, Society and Solitude, Natural History of Intellect, and Poems. The intellect of E. was subtle rather than robust, and suggestive rather than systematic. He wrote down the intuitions and suggestions of the moment, and was entirely careless as to whether these harmonised with previous statements. He was an original and stimulating thinker and writer, and wielded a style of much beauty and fascination. His religious views approached more nearly to Pantheism than to any other known system of belief. He was a man of singular elevation and purity of character.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was an American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century. His teachings directly influenced the growing New Thought movement of the mid 1800s.
Originally published in 1961, the present volume is a collection of thoughts from the essays and journals of Ralph Waldo Emerson, leader of the transcendentalist movement of the mid-19th century. Subjects such as self-reliance, transcendentalism, nature as beauty, love and friendship, America and politics, and religions and sects are included.
This volume, edited by Carl Bode in collaboration with Malcolm Cowley, presents the essential Emerson, selected from works that eloquently express the philosophy of a worldly idealist. The Portable Emerson comprises essays, including “History,” “Self-Reliance,” “The Over-Soul,” “Circles,” and “The Poet”; Emerson’s first book, Nature, in its entirety; twenty-two poems, including “Uriel,” “The Humble-Bee,” and “Give All to Love”; orations, including “The American Scholar,” “The Fugitive Slave Law,” and “John Brown”; English Traits, complete; and biographical essays on Plato, Napoleon, Henry David Thoreau, Thomas Carlyle, and others.
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays and poems on the transcendental movement in the United States became some of the most important literary pieces in American History. In this culmination of essays, Emerson takes the reader through different forms of philosophies that attempt to explain the world and man’s purpose within it. Heavily vested in the philosophy of transcendentalism, though not one to label himself a true follower of the movement, Emerson believed that spirituality and wholeness were central to the ways in which humans could place themselves within nature. Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson is a collection of integral works that paved the way for much influential literature to come, including, Louisa May Alcott, and Margaret Fuller. With an eye-catching new cover and an informative note about the author, this edition of Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson is both modern and readable.
A compilation of the best essays written by the father of transcendentalism, with selections from Emerson’s lectures on history, art, politics, and more In the words of Harold Bloom, “Emerson's prose is his triumph, both as eloquence and as insight. After Shakespeare, it matches anything else in the language.” Here are Ralph Waldo Emerson's classic essays, including the exhortation to “Self-Reliance,” the embattled realizations of “Circles” and “Experience,” and the groundbreaking achievement of “Nature.” Our most eloquent champion of individualism, Emerson acknowledges at the same time the countervailing pressures of society in American life. Even as he extols what he calls “the great and crescive self,” he dramatizes and records its vicissitudes. Also gathered here are his wide-ranging discourses on history, art, politics, friendship, love, and much more. For almost thirty years, The Library of America has presented America's best and most significant writing in acclaimed hardcover editions. Now, a new series, Library of America Paperback Classics, offers attractive and affordable books that bring The Library of America's authoritative texts within easy reach of every reader. Each book features an introductory essay by a leading writer, as well as a detailed chronology of the author's life and career, an essay on the choice and history of the text, and notes.
The lover of nature is he whose inward and outward senses are still truly adjusted to each other." -Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nature (1849) Nature-Addresses and Lectures (1849) is a collection that brings together several short commentaries by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Emerson is among the most quoted of American writers, and his essays are considered classics. This volume includes Emerson's seminal long essay on nature, along with lectures entitled "The Transcendentalist" and "Man the Reformer," along with addresses entitled "The American Scholar," "Divinity School Address," "Literary Ethics," and "The Method of Nature.
This collection of essays was published originally in 1860, just before the American Civil War. In it, philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson turns toward pragmatism and focuses on the practical application of ethics in everyday life. Students of philosophy and literature will enjoy these thoughtful writings from one of America's most celebrated authors. Topics include. . Culture . Fate . Beauty . Worship American poet and philosopher RALPH WALDO EMERSON (1803-1882), the "Sage of Concord," was a driving force behind the Transcendental Movement of the early 18th century and remains a major figure in American literature. His works include Representative Men (1850), Society and Solitude (1870), and Parnassus (1875).
Drawing primarily from previously unpublished manuscripts in the Ralph Waldo Emerson Memorial Association Collection in the Houghton Library at Harvard University, recent editions of Emerson's correspondence, journals and notebooks, sermons, and early lectures have provided authoritative texts that inspire readers to consider Emerson's place in American culture afresh. The two-volume Later Lectures of Ralph Waldo Emerson, 1843–1871, presents the texts of forty-eight complete and unpublished lectures delivered during the crucial middle years of Emerson's career. They offer his thoughts on New England and “Old World” history and culture, poetic theory, education, the history and uses of intellect—as well as his ideas on race relations and women's rights, subjects that sparked many debates. These final volumes contain some of Emerson's most timelessly relevant work and are sure to engage and inform any reader interested in discovering one of our country's greatest intellectuals. The following sections, although appearing only in the volume designated, contain information that pertains to both volumes and are available on the University of Georgia Press website. Volume 1: 1843–1854 contains: Preface Works Frequently Cited Historical and Textual Introduction Volume 2: 1855–1871 contains: Manuscript Sources of Emerson's Later Lectures in the Houghton Library of Harvard University Index to Works by Emerson General Index
Perhaps no writer has so dramatically shaped the course of American philosophy as Ralph Waldo Emerson, whose meditations on spirituality, freedom, and the power of knowledge have informed and inspired generations of activists, scholars, and thinkers. This replica edition of a 1914 collection of his most profound and influential poetry includes: . "Each and All" . "The World-Soul" . "Mithridates" . "The Rhodora" . "Woodnotes I" and "II" . "Etienne de la Boce" . "Compensation" . "Ode to Beauty" . "Bacchus" . "The Apology" . poems on nature and life, the elements, quatrains, "mottoes to the 'essays'" . and many, many more. American poet and philosopher RALPH WALDO EMERSON (1803-1882), the "Sage of Concord," was a driving force behind the Transcendental Movement of the early 19th century and remains a major figure in American literature. His works include Representative Men (1850), The Conduct of Life (1860), Society and Solitude (1870), and Parnassus (1875).
Six essays and one address outline Emerson's moral idealism and hint at later scepticism. In addition to title essay, this volume includes "History," "Friendship," "The Over-Soul," "The Poet" and "Experience," plus the Harvard Divinity School Address.
Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the best-loved figures in nineteenth-century American literature. Though he earned his central place in our culture as an essayist and philosopher, since his death his reputation as a poet has grown as well. Known for challenging traditional thought and for his faith in the individual, Emerson was the chief spokesman for the Transcendentalist movement. His poems speak to his most passionately held belief: that external authority should be disregarded in favor of one’s own experience. From the embattled farmers who “fired the shot heard round the world” in the stirring “Concord Hymn,” to the flower in “The Rhodora,” whose existence demonstrates “that if eyes were made for seeing, / Then Beauty is its own excuse for being,” Emerson celebrates the existence of the sublime in the human and in nature. Combining intensity of feeling with his famous idealism, Emerson’s poems reveal a moving, more intimate side of the man revered as the Sage of Concord.
. . . for the poet is representative. He stands among partial men for the complete man, and apprises us not of his wealth, but of the common-wealth." -Ralph Waldo Emerson, The Poet The Poet, written by Ralph Waldon Emerson between 1841 and 1843, is an essay in which Emerson argues for the United States, when it was a relatively young nation, to establish a position of national poet to write about the country's virtues and vices. It reflects the way that Emerson, as a leader of the American Transcendentalist movement, championed individualism.
Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882) was an American essayist, philosopher, poet, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century. His teachings directly influenced the growing New Thought movement of the mid 1800s.
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