Customer Reviews

A Dream Too Wild: Emerson Meditations for Every Day of the Year

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4 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." - Ralph Waldo Emerson

Master of the aphorism, Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the most quoted American authors. He valued religious experience, and a spiritual message lies at the heart of his philosophy.

Amassing thoughtfully selected passages from Emerson's lectures, essays, sermons, books, poetry, and journals, editor Barry M. Andrews has created a rare anthology highlighting the brilliant mind and astute heart of one America's most beloved authors.

Taking readers from January 1 to December 31, A Dream Too Wild is a thought-provoking and amazingly insightful daily devotional. Rather than brief quotes, the passages in this book reflect the full range of Emerson's thoughts on spiritual matters such as:

* Self reliance
* Nature
* The Over-soul
* Solitude
* "Plain living and high thinking"
* Ecstasy
* Moral sentiment

November 1, culled from Emerson's journal of 1833, says:

"The universe is a more amazing puzzle than ever as you glance along this bewildering series of animated forms-the hazy butterflies, the carved shells, the birds, beasts, fishes, insects, snakes-and the upheaving principle of life everywhere incipient, in the very rock aping organized forms. Not a form so grotesque, so savage, nor so beautiful but is an expression of some property inherent in man the observer-an occult relation between the very scorpions and man. I feel the centipede in me-cayman, carp, eagle, and fox. I am moved by strange sympathies, I say continually `I will be a naturalist'."

At the end of each passage, Andrews poses a pertinent question. For example, at the end of the previous passage he asks, "Do you feel a kinship with the plants and animals? Do you sense `an occult relation' between `scorpions and man'?"

A prolific writer, Emerson admits that he was not a systematic thinker. Rather, he strung thoughts together like pearls on a necklace, with each containing a "lustre", as he called it-a thought to ponder, a brief meditation to contemplate.

In a Dream Too Wild, Andrews has done an admirable job compiling Emerson's timeless pearls of wisdom. Emerson once said of himself "I am an endless seeker with no past at my back", and this book appeals to the modern spiritual seeker-especially one that searches with an open heart and critical mind.

I have been reading Emerson all my adult life and this compilation of meditations from the writings of Emerson by Barry Andrews is by far the finest anthology I have ever read (and I have read many). Each meditation has been selected for its pithy spirituality and deepness of thought. Though Emerson wrote and taught on a variety of subjects in his lifetime, he himself insisted that he only taught one doctrine--the infinitude of the individual. At the heart of all his philosophy was the most private of religions, his "church of one", where each person privately interfaces with his Maker and has a religion of personal experience and not a parasitic faith only. Emerson wrote, "It is God in you that responds to God without or affirms his own words trembling on the lips of another." Emerson has taught me more than any other person how to fully accept religion. I believe him to be true religion's greatest friend because he would take you beyond the surface of your faith and to the very mystical heart of it. I adore the selections Andrews has put together and know I couldn't do a better job if I personally hand selected them myself. Andrews clearly sees to the heart of Emerson and only gives us the dearest thoughts of "America's greatest thinker." Andrews doesn't just go to the published essays but mines also from the journals, sermons, poetry and recently published later lectures of Emerson. I have bought multiple copies of this book and given it to friends and each of my children. This book is a dear gift to the world. Thank you, Barry Andrews. My only lament is that this book isn't small enough to fit in my shirt pocket so I could carry it with me everyday.

As far as Emerson's writings go, this is one of the better anthologies in print.

I gave it only one star because the editor has added pretentious, condescending questions to each entry. In doing so he treats the readers as grade school children who need coaching in order to understand Emerson's finer points. In this way Andrews makes the entire collection look like a greeting card which spoon-feeds Emerson quotes to a dim-witted audience.

This is unfortunate, because compiling such a fine collection of writings is not easy to do. Emerson has written volumes of excellent material; reading and understanding all of them would take a lot of time that most people these days simply don't have. For this reason the collection could have been valuable, and perhaps can still be if readers can force themselves to ignore those childish questions. This will be a problem for speed readers, who will have to block the questions somehow in order not to see them.

Very disappointing. I hope that if there are multiple printings of this book, Andrews comes to his senses and removes those utterly banal questions.

A dear friend of mine, who reads a great deal and knows Emerson quite well recommended this book. Thus far I have been equally impressed.... a great read...

I recently took a class that reawakened my love of Emerson. I checked out this book at the library, then had to own it. Each day of the year is a selected writing from Emerson's essays, sermons and or lectures. It's a great opportunity to read a gem from Emerson each day. Then there is a question that invites writing one's own essay or thoughts. I love this book!

This is an excellent selection of thought pieces from Emerson's extensive essays, lectures, and journal entries. Each day's meditation deserves thoughtful consideration in order to be thoroughly understood and appreciated. To this end the editor, Barry Andrews, adds short questions after each meditation as aids to reflection. I note that "Upright Ape" doesn't like them. My experience of them is the opposite of his / hers. I find the questions helpful, judicious, non-intrusive, and elucidatory. I have been reading this selection for several months now and I am daily refreshed and stimulated by Emerson's profound insights.