 | |||
 10  1  2  |
 |
 |
 |
Emerson Biography
 |
| "Even the . . . sots of England are of a tougher texture". - Emerson |
His essential philosophy is found in the little book Nature (1836). Afterwards he wrote extensions, amplifications, or amendments of ideas in it and added some more themes. One was against pedantry.
The young Emerson had idealistic, candid notions on such as self-expression and self-reliance. Later he accommodated somewhat and became internationally famous.
His poems made him known as a major American poet as well. - T. Kinnes
Contents
Supporting "well medleys" are presupposed
throughout:Emerson Biography
 |
| R. W. Emerson |
Below are outlooks of the North American essayist, philosopher, and poet born on May 25, 1803 - a powerful, inspirational writer who died in 1882 after a short illness.
It has been said of him that he had a style almost without equal: and he never tried to put plan in his essays. Instead he said what he had to say as it came to him. In this way he excelled.
In 1836 he published, in Boston, a little book of 95 pages entitled Nature. It it he formulated his essential philosophy. Most of what he wrote afterward were extensions, amplifications, or amendments of ideas in it. Apart from that he warned against scholarship unrelated to life, a washed-up Christian tradition, imitation of others, and pedantry. ("The American Scholar", 1837; "Address at Divinity College" at Harvard University, 1838).
From ongoing lecture series, he gathered his Essays into two volumes (1841, 1844). In the first volume he vented idealistic notions on such as self-expression and self-reliance and much else. In the second volume he accommodated his earlier idealism to limitations of life.
In his later works he shows less reliance on self. His collected Poems (1846) were supplemented by others in 1867, and made him known as a major American poet. The Conduct of Life (1860) is his most mature work. [One source: Encyclopedia Britannica, s.v. "Ralph Waldo Emerson"]
Glimmer
Write how you want, the critic shall show the world you could have written better. [Oliver Goldsmith]Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) had in his power to say much in little, just as Pythagoras strove for in his day too.
It is said of Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-82) that he had a style of peculiar power and almost without equal - and he never tried to put plan in his essays. Instead he said what he had to say as it came to him, ever on the alert for "the first glimmer". When he travelled about lecturing, most people did not understand him, in part because of his power of saying much in little.
Many famous men he met, including Samuel Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth, seemed to him inferior in intellect, except Thomas Carlyle. Emerson warned against academic pedantry and sallow faith and also made himself thoroughly unwelcome at Harvard University; he was ostracized by Harvard for many years. But his reputation increased until the old Emerson was regarded as the Sage of Concord.
Today many of his critics are dead and forgotten, while the poet, challenging and in part anti-academic Emerson is widely studied in universities the world over, and quoted at large. [Ebu "Ralph Waldo Emerson"]
More Glimmer
If Emerson had learnt and applied how to use furtively ready-made reservations (our well-blends) he could have escaped amplifying and elaborating on his early works. Instead he could have found time for much else. There is that risk - |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Adjoined
Em: Atkinson, Brooks, ed: Selected Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Modern Library. New York, 1950.Rwe: Porte, Joel and Saundra Morris, eds: The Cambridge Companion to Ralph Waldo Emerson. Cambridge UP. Cambridge, 1999.
Talw: Rusk, Ralph: The Life of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Columbia University. New York, 1949.
| Literature | Layout | SITE MAP | First Page |
CLICK on 'Literature' for the references of about 2000 works.
ANNOTATIONS: Acronym letters in square brackets in the text refer to works. Click on 'Literature' above for examples. Page references are put right after reference letters. The abbreviation cf. means "compare". [MORE].
SEARCH THE SITE: Click on the rose in the upper left column for site searches, access to dictionaries, and further.
REFER to the page by its 'location' address (above).
PILOTING: Some pictures and texts on top of the pages are clickable, to ease navigation. [MORE]
| Model | Well's | Disclaimer | |
| © 2003-2004, T. Kinnes — Updated in Autumn 2004 | |||