First published 1841
Ralph Waldo Emerson argues that America's natural wealth should shape its cultural identity. He breaks from European traditions that sought to control and reshape the natural world for human purposes. Instead, Emerson proposes that human thinking and behavior spring directly from nature itself. His philosophy draws from everyday natural observations and demonstrates how humans and their environment exist in balance. This collection presents fifteen of Emerson's key essays. Readers will find "Nature," "The American Scholar," "Self-reliance," and "The Transcendentalist" alongside his evaluations of historical figures Montaigne, Napoleon, and Thoreau. Emerson weaves ordinary natural imagery throughout his work to support his vision of harmonious coexistence between humanity and the natural world.
Genres: essays, literary-criticism, philosophy, american, 19th-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, lyrical, thought-provoking
Tropes: harmonious-coexistence
Period: 19th-century
416 pages · Paperback · Penguin Books