Ralph Waldo Emerson (1915)

By Oscar W. Firkins

Book Overview

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1915) is a book written by Oscar W. Firkins that provides a comprehensive exploration of the life and works of the renowned American philosopher, essayist, and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson. The book delves into Emerson's personal life, including his childhood, education, and relationships, as well as his intellectual development and the evolution of his philosophical and literary ideas.Firkins analyzes Emerson's major works, including his essays, lectures, and poetry, and provides insightful commentary on their themes, style, and impact. The book also examines Emerson's influence on American literature and culture, and his role in shaping the Transcendentalist movement.Overall, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1915) is a valuable resource for anyone interested in gaining a deeper understanding of Emerson's life, ideas, and legacy, and is a must-read for scholars and enthusiasts of American literature and philosophy.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1163950653
• ISBN13: 9781163950654
• Release Date: September 2010
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing
• Length: 388 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

1915 Biography

I am finding Firkins' 1915 biography of Emerson a delight to read. However, I must offer a warning that his antique prose style will not be to all tastes. In this age that appreciates simplicity of telling, Firkins will seem obtuse and extremely difficult to understand by many readers. For instance: Here is a crabbed sentence from page 22 that I had to read several times. "It must be clearly realized that in questions of machinery, of the modus operandi of society and civilization, Emerson's temper was essentially conservative; his instinct was to grasp the approved tool, the existent mechanism: in a universe in which all forms were reduced to a virtual equality through previous reduction to virtual nullity before the face of an omnipotent spirit, it seemed finical to be nice in the comparison of ineffectualities." So if you are looking for the bare bones of Emerson, try elsewhere. The second half of the Firkins is given over to a valuable review of Emerson's works. It may be well worth your price of admission to have these insightful commentaries on each of the essays. For example: "Self-Reliance" is the most spinous and bristling of the essays of Emerson, as it is unquestionable one of the greatest. With the exception of two or three sentences in "Spiritual Laws," it is almost the only essay in which our own tolerant generation perceives that "nipping and eager air" which bit so shrewdly into the more sensitive cuticle of his contemporaries."