The Essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson

by Ralph Waldo Emerson and Waldo Emerson

Book Overview

Ralph Waldo Emerson, Alfred Kazin observes in his Introduction, "was a great writer who turned the essay into a form all his own." His celebrated essays--the twelve published in Essays: First Series (1841) and eight in Essays: Second Series (1844)--are here presented for the first time in an authoritative one-volume edition, which incorporates all the changes and corrections Emerson made after their initial publication.

The...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0674267206
• ISBN13: 9780674267206
• Release Date: April 1987
• Publisher: Belknap Press
• Length: 410 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.2" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Hollywood Florida Center gives " 5 thumbs up to Emerson"

Read one of the greatest minds of his time. It is said that a few from every generation discovers Emerson. I have been reading and teaching his philosophy for over 20 years. Read it aloud to yourself and allow your self to walk along with one of the greatest spirits we've ever known. I remember reading him in college and not getting it entirely but now I take the time to savor the wisdom on each page. No matter if you are reading in his Essay on Compensation or spiritual laws you will be impressed that he was speaking with equisite intelligence about laws and ideas that the world is only now coming to embrace. ( I hear his words spoken through Louise Hay "You can heal your life" E Tolle, The Secret, Ernest Holmes's Science of Mind and the Filmores of Unity. If you take the time to savor the essay on "History" you will hear a man describe the evolution of conciousness, the awakening of mankind. Sure he wrote during another time and its a little work. Theres so much good here, It is worth ALL the effort. Join a study group and read it aloud.. It is a gift to yourself! Namaste! Rev Greg Hollywood Florida Center for Positive and Spiritual Living

From self-reliance to the Over-Soul: the "unabridged Quotable Emerson"

An amalgamation of two books published in 1841 and 1844, the 21 pieces known as "Essays: First and Second Series" describe Emerson's concepts of self-reliance, the law of compensation (a sort of yin-yang polarity in morality), and the transcendental Over-Soul, an ideal Emerson first enunciated (without naming it as such) in his infamous Divinity School Address, for which he was accused of atheism. "The world is not the product of manifold power, but of one will, of one mind; and that one mind is everywhere active," he said to Harvard's startled divinity students and teachers. "All things proceed out of the same spirit." In these essays, he expands upon this notion of the individual Self as part of a universal All, of the human soul bound by a physical body yet tethered to an omniscient spirit. Emerson's metaphysics alternates among a quasi-pantheistic belief in the unity of humanity, nature, and God; a monistic view that All is One; a mystical channeling of universal truths; and an anthropocentric faith in the primacy of human experience. Through reflection and meditation, humans can experience God. "Ineffable is the union of man and God in every act of the soul," he writes in the essay titled "The Over-Soul." "The simplest person who in his integrity worships God, becomes God." The form of Emerson's "essays" displays his training as a preacher, and his lectures served as rough drafts; but, although they read like sermons, they are more like prose poems, heavily indebted to Plutarch, Plotinus, and Montaigne. In addition to "Self-Reliance" and "The Over-Soul," the most important of these essays are probably "History," "Compensation," and "The Poet." Anecdotes, evidence, and "scientific" observation play a minor role in his writing, and transitional devices are sparse; his essays are built instead of argument by aphorism, chains of clever and commonsensical quips, and contemplative reflection in a nearly conversational style. (A friend of mine once joked, perceptively, that the Quotable Emerson would be pretty much the same as the unabridged version of the book you have here.) Emerson's idealism and romanticism can seem hopelessly abstract--a failing that carried over into his personal relations. (Responding to his discussion on "Friendship," Caroline Sturgis wrote to him, "With all your faith in Man, you have but little faith in men.") The ambiguities of his writing and their myriad interpretations have provided the foundations for disparate schools of thought. On the one hand, his philosophic arguments and literary characteristics anticipate Walt Whitman's ode to the self, Nietzsche's "ubermensch," Williams James's "stream-of-consciousness," Dewey's instrumentalism, and Jung's concept of the universal unconscious or racial memory. On the other hand, there is a direct descent from the sermonizing, inspirational quality of Emerson's works to various strands of New Thought spiritualism, the motivational guides of Norman Vincent Peale and Dale Ca

Prophetic!

Emerson's essays are prophetic. Like peeling an onion; every time you read them, you understand life, the human race, and yourself, at a deeper level.

Emerson ... Words on learning to live, not words to live by.

If ever there was a man fit to work a suicide hotline, it is Ralph Waldo Emerson. If ever an author is to have a positive effect on one's life, this man is certainly the foremost candidate. Emerson's essays radiate optimism and preach self-confidence; his works contain some of the best lessons one could ever hope to learn and, at the same time, are some of the greatest pieces of literature ever written. Like Tombstone's Doc Holiday, every sentence Emerson offers is quotable. Make no mistake, though, Emerson's words are of a completely different brand than those echoing quotes that decorate hollow speeches; an Emerson quote has meat. In every sentence one can find his complete philosophy, much like, as he writes in The Over-Soul, "One blood rolls uninterruptedly, an endless circulation through all." One's memory of Emerson's entire teachings can be refreshed in a single phrase, but one can never see the genius in his writing without having grasped it in the first place. That is precisely why I would consider offering a Cliff's Notes-type summary of any of Emerson's works one of the gravest literary crimes. Apart from the impossibility of the task, any so-called shortcut would rob the reader of those self-revelations - which are the essence of the Emerson experience - that can only be reached by trudging alone through the depths of the material. The reading is challenging. Each sentence takes on a different meaning upon re-examinations, be they consecutive or periodic. In the first reading, one may be struck by a certain passage's theme or imagery. Upon reading over it seconds later, one may discover a subtle metaphor, and a third reading my suggest another, even-deeper meaning, all of which may be replaced by the impressions of a fourth glance some two or three weeks later. The material is timeless, accommodating the evolving individual as well as the ever-changing human race. We must be careful, though, not to be lulled into the cult-mentality of using Emerson's writings as an instruction manual for our own lives. To do so would be to undermine his entire message. The fruit of the Emerson experience is gaining the self-trust, or Self-Reliance, necessary to follow our own hearts, make our own decisions, and say, with confidence, "Hey, I know what I'm doing."

Mighty thoughts that can shake your life!

This is one of the greatest books I have ever read. I know that many people don't like to read essays of any kind, but all I can say is that Ralph Waldo Emerson is simply different! Nobody has the gift to write essays and analyze life like him.His words and ideas are so powerful and deep that we soon realize that they didn't come only from a brilliant mind, but also from a warm-hearted soul!That's exactly what this book is about: Its sentences break through your brain and penetrate right into your soul! Emerson's optimistic view on human beings and life can only reinforce our courage in mankind and, especially, in ourselves! What else can I say? His speech is direct, he defends all the good values, tell us to have confidence in ourselves and show us that passing through life with dignity is a matter of choice and courage, and that it simply doesn't change with time. It was like this a thousand years ago, it will probably follow the same rules a thousand years f! ! rom now.This is the book I grab to comfort my spirit when I'm having difficult times... :) It is a guide that make us believe that anything is possible when we really want it! " Self-Reliance ", one of the essays inside this book, is a masterpiece in its own and I believe it should be studied in every high school, instead some of the crap we are usually obliged to read!This book can shape your spirit and your mind. It is also possibly THE BEST self-help book you could ever own and, yet, a great literary work. I would rate this book as ageless and I'm sure the future generations will be still interested in it, in the same way we are in those ancient Greek and Roman texts. This is precious culture and food for your soul as a bargain! Do not waste more time. READ IT!!!