Ralph Waldo Emerson: A Companion

by Prentiss Clark

Overview

In his 1837 speech "The American Scholar," Ralph Waldo Emerson noted, "life is our dictionary," encapsulating a body of work that reached well beyond the American 19th century. This comprehensive study explores Emerson as a preacher, poet, philosopher, lecturer, essayist and editor. There are nearly 100 entries on individual texts and their personal, historical and literary contexts. Emerson's work is placed within his relationships with family members, fellow Transcendentalists and transatlantic friends, and his commitment to ethics, self-culture and social change.

This book provides the fullest possible exploration of Emerson's writing and philosophy. Far ahead of his own time, the man enthusiastically questioned institutions, communities, friendships, history, individuality and contemporaneous approaches to environmental stewardship.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781476647753
Publisher:	McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers
Publication date:	01/05/2023
Series:	McFarland Companions to 19th Century Literature
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	301
File size:	7 MB
Age Range:	18 Years

About the Author

Prentiss Clark is an associate professor of English at the University of South Dakota. Her essays appear in The Henry James Review, Nineteenth-Century Literature, The James Baldwin Review and the forthcoming New Cambridge Companion to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Oxford Handbook of Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Prentiss Clark is an associate professor of English at the University of South Dakota. Her recent essays appear in The Henry James Review, The James Baldwin Review and the forthcoming Cambridge Companion to Ralph Waldo Emerson and Oxford Handbook of Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments deletevi
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction
Emerson: A Brief Biography
Chronology of Emerson’s Major Book Publications
Ralph Waldo Emerson: A Companion
Appendix: Writing and Research Topics
Works Cited
Index

Editorial Reviews

Clark provides nearly 100 encyclopedia-style entries on Emerson’s philosophy, major works, influences, historical and cultural contexts, and legacies. ... The book's chief value derives from Clark's expertise not only in Emerson’s primary texts (poetry, essays, journals, and sermons) but also in the most recent directions of Emersonian scholarship, including cosmopolitanism, racial justice, ecocriticism, and anti-foundationalist philosophy. The volume is readable and often edifying, even when tackling Emerson’s most complicated ideas. ... Experienced Emersonians will find much of value here...highly recommended”—Choice

From the Publisher