emerson cited

Works cited

Two faces of Emerson: A review of recent books. By: Garvey, T. Gregory, College Literature, 00933139, , Vol. 25, Issue 1

Essays and poems. Ralph waldo Emerson. New York, New York. Barnes and Noble publishing. 2004

emerson second paper

Asia Johnson

Walker

American literature

November 2008

Emerson’s Movements

Emerson’s ideas were revolutionary in that it influenced and changed the intellectual movement. His essays present ideas of brilliance that had not been previously stated. Though some of his essays did have some ideas that contradicted each other most of them coincide well. They form the perspective from which he viewed the world.

One of the things that made Emerson’s work so interesting was the fact that much of what he recognized and expressed in his works were things that are innate parts of human nature. If anyone person really thought about it they would probably realize the same things that he did but Emerson actually put them into words.

“Self-Reliance” is one of if not the best piece Emerson wrote. The essay emphasizes the importance of promoting ones self. It also focuses heavily on self trust. Emerson’s idea was if a person put trust in themselves and worked to achieve greatness then they would. Though in his essays “power” and “fate” this idea is nearly contradicted. In both of these Emerson discusses natural elements that can promote or hinder a persons efforts toward something. But both his essays focus on self a good bit too. Because of transcendental view Emerson had of the world he attributed something’s to forces of nature. Emerson believed that some people had a natural advantage because they were given a particular attribute that gave them an edge over everyone else. He also classified what most people call “human nature” as a natural happening, fate. a lot of the ideas Emerson had

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were those that had been expressed by the romantics in British literature. The transcendental movement pattered heavily after the romantic movement.

Emerson’s ideas were so popular and well received that people considered it a movement in the intellectual world. Oliver Wendell Holmes called a declarations of independence in the American intellectual life (essays). there was a lot of hypes over Emerson’s work and many were influence by his works. Writers like Whitman, Dickinson, and Frost would follow the poetic tradition Emerson set (essays). Emerson’s poems focused heavily on nature and using nature as a source of finding self. Frost and Whitman would follow this idea heavily. Using nature in their poems.

There has been a shift in feeling toward Emerson’s work. People starting in the late 19^th century began to question how great Emerson’s work actually was. Lawrence Buell wrote a criticism on Emerson’s work. He supports the work, but recognizes that others are not so favorable to his work. “the pattern of fragmentation-amid-institutionalization of Emerson studies is probably here to stay” (Garvey). Buell discusses the different feeling people had toward Emerson. People like Yvor Winters adamantly speak out against Emerson’s work. As Buell said Yvor said Emerson’s work was “interested primarily in thought about mystical experience, and whose attitude toward thought was self-indulgent.” On the other side of the argument there are societies and other interest groups that focus on everything positive about Emerson’s work. There are entire websites of just his quotes. And his influence in other writers works is obvious. Emerson’s work has had a profound effect on many authors and was perfect as an example of what the transcendental movement was about.