Essays first Series [Hardcover]

Ralph Waldo Emerson (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: McKay; Not Stated edition (1888)
• ASIN: B000OMO8A2
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)

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33 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars American Classic, April 15, 2010

By 

Bill R. Moore (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essays, First Series (Paperback)

Ralph Waldo Emerson is America's greatest essayist and one of its greatest orators. To call him an essayist indeed sells him rather short and is very misleading. Most think of essays as interminable, dry, and academic, full of jargon, polysyllables, and other esoterica making them near-inaccessible to general readers. Emerson is very different. His writing is vibrant and vital, making subjects come alive in a way that is as accessible as it is thought-provoking. He writes about general topics - self-reliance, history, love, friendship - of fundamental importance to humanity but is never pretentious, portentous, or arcane; his writing is indeed so strong and lively that it can be read as literature - or even entertainment. Emerson was most famous in life for oratory and is now best-known for essays but had a poet's soul in the truest sense; he wrote many poems, but a poetic sensibility underlies all his writings. His essays are sculpted with poetic precision; he is admirably concise and knows just what words to use to get attention and desired effect, not needing more. Perhaps more importantly, his style is as close to poetry as prose can be, full of beautiful descriptions, exciting metaphors, and general lushness. Yet he was also a philosopher, conveying classic philosophy in easily relatable form with new relevance and contributing much of his own. Only Plato himself rivals Emerson for combining poetry and philosophy's unique strengths; his essays are strong on all fronts.

Emerson now unfortunately and unfairly has a reputation as a difficult, somewhat antiquated read in many minds. This is a travesty, as very few classic writers are as relevant and accessible. Hard as it may be to conceive, Emerson was seen in life as a popularizer; he wrote for regular people, conveying intellectual material in terms they could easily understand, relate to, appreciate - and, above all, act on. Though one of the most well-educated, well-read, and well-traveled people of his day, he had the rare gift of translating weighty issues to the masses without losing intellectual vigor. Thus, though widely and greatly admired by artists and intellectuals, he was often looked down on by the high-brow. Time has erased this injustice, meaning Emerson can now be enjoyed by all.

It is hard to classify Emerson's essays; he wrote on nearly every conceivable subject: philosophy, psychology, history, literary criticism, ethics, politics, and many, many others. However, his overriding concern at all times was to make his subjects not only accessible but in the most fundamental way relatable. His work was essentially a call to action meant to wake people up from intellectual stupor, apathy, narrow-mindedness, and pre-conceptions. He wanted to take people's intellectual virginity, forcing them to see the truth of Socrates' belief that an unexamined belief is not worth living. No cow was too sacred for him to kick, which led to considerable controversy; he was famously banned from Harvard Divinity School, his alma mater, for decades only to be welcomed back enthusiastically late in life when the school had adopted nearly all the stances it originally condemned as blasphemous. Emerson knew people were held back by inherited inhibitions of all sorts - often without even realizing it - and wanted them swept away so all could reach full potential. On top of everything else, his work is thus the best kind of self-help manual; few writers are as inspirational and fundamentally moving. He had a very real impact on millions of regular people across decades and profoundly influenced artists as diverse as Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, Poe, Longfellow, and Whitman. His impact is indeed so titanic that most of these and many others might not have written at all without him; at the very least, their work would have been very different - probably unrecognizable and possibly far less great, if great at all - without him. He continued to have a great effect on later writers, including Robert Frost and his namesake Ralph Waldo Ellison; his reach indeed stretches to the present and shows no sign of disappearing. A true testament to his influence is the fact that several of these writers profoundly disagreed with him, much of their work essentially being a rebuttal; agree with him or not, his stature is such that one must deal with him. The aspect opponents have most often objected to is his relentless optimism, which is really the main obstacle to reading him. His philosophy survived the Civil War - was indeed a far from negligible force in creating and sustaining union spirit -, but the twentieth century's numerous atrocities can easily make him seem so naïve as to be hopelessly outdated. The truth is very much otherwise. Emerson is never more needed than in trying times; it is not hyperbolic to say the world would be a far more peaceful and better place if the hard common sense at his writings' core were taken to heart. Everyone should read him because he helps us find the best in ourselves, appealing to humanity's best instincts to make a better future for both individuals and society.

This, Emerson's first essay collection, has twelve of his writings, including some of the best and most famous: "History," "Self-Reliance," "Compensation," "Spiritual Laws," "Love," "Friendship," "Prudence," "Heroism," "The Over-Soul," "Circles," "Intellect," and "Art." They were painstakingly pieced together from numerous and various lectures and journals, and though this sometimes gives a sort of choppy effect, it is clear that the labor paid off. Emerson is highly persuasive; his rhetoric is mesmerizingly engaging, his style unique and memorable. One of his main strengths is that he is as satisfying aesthetically as intellectually; he often works himself up to a near-lyrical rapture, and his prose is about as poetic as possible.

I will briefly discuss some of my favorites essays, but all are of very high and, indeed, nearly consistent quality. "Self-Reliance" is Emerson's most famous essay and is rivaled only by "Concord Hymn" as his most famous work. It is also his masterpiece; one often hears - sometimes disparagingly - that Emerson tried to fit his whole philosophy into each essay, and this comes remarkably close. There is far more depth and subtlety here than the length suggests; one would be very hard-pressed to find another work so densely packed. The words are few, but the implications are enough for a lifetime. "Self" is a seminal masterwork; a founding Transcendentalist text and American Romantic cornerstone, it is central to American thought, culture, and literature. Anyone even remotely interested in any Americana aspect must be intimately familiar with it; aside from the Declaration of Independence and Constitution themselves, perhaps no other document is so vital to the American spirit.

Reading "Self" is perhaps more necessary than ever - not only because it is eternally relevant but also because it is often misrepresented. The term "self-reliance" is now almost entirely political, almost synonymous with libertarianism, and the essay is frequently touted along such lines. However, these things are hardly more than implied here, and though the definition of "liberal" has greatly changed, it is important to remember that Emerson was one of his era's leading liberals. His prime meaning in any case is self-reliance intellectually and in everyday life. He urges us to trust ourselves, to recognize human divinity and avoid imitation. It is a simple message but all-important - and far easier said than done. Emerson explores all its ramifications - philosophical, practical, social, political, economic, etc. - and outlines all its benefits. The case is beyond convincing, but he can do no more than show us; the rest is up to us.

This profoundly individualist message is another reason that reading "Self" is so necessary. We must open our minds to him, and once we have, they will never be closed again. Though greatly revered with many and diverse followers, Emerson's intention was not to be loved but to inspire; he wanted all to find individual genius. His work is thus the truest and best kind of self-help manual, and "Self" is its apotheosis. It has inspired millions in the more than century and a half of its existence, including me. I have read thousands and thousands of works, but this is one of the handful that truly changed my life. Emerson's greatness always shines through, but reading him at the right time can make an astonishing difference. He was more popular in life with the young than the old, and I can easily see why. I was lucky to read him at just the right time, and "Self" spoke to me more powerfully than almost anything else ever has. Without hyperbole, I can say that I would not be doing what I am today and would have abandoned my goals and visions without reading "Self" and Thoreau's "Life without Principle" - a somewhat similar essay highly influenced by Emerson - when I did. I was wracked with self-doubt and getting nothing but indifference, bafflement, or hostility from others; these works gave just the kick I needed, and I will never look back. "Self" has the potential to be life-changing as almost nothing else does, and I highly recommend it to all; you can hardly be unaffected and may never be the same. However, I especially recommend it to the young; its importance to them - and Emerson's generally - simply cannot be overemphasized.

Emerson is a signature American stylist, and "Self" is near his height. An Emerson-loving professor of mine once joked that no one can find the topic sentence in an Emerson paragraph, and his transitions also frequently leave much to be desired. However, "Self" is near-seamless, a true masterpiece of style that flows smoothly and often waxes beautiful. This is all the more remarkable in that it was assembled even more than usual from disparate... Read more ›

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Still thought-provoking over 100 years later..., January 6, 2011

By 

John W. Crockett - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essays - First Series (Kindle Edition)

Emerson's ideas influenced the "mental sciences" of the day, which later became known as the "new thought" movement. It's interesting that his ideas helped start the Transcendentalist movement.

I'm glad I got this version. It's really easy to read on the Kindle.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Emerson Essential, May 2, 2011

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C. F. Poza - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Essays - First Series (Kindle Edition)

Here is a good sampling of Ralph Waldo Emerson writings. After reading a few, you will wonder why he is not more popular today. At least a few of these essays should be required reading in high school and beyond. Excellent writing and great insights from a relatively well known but seldom visited American philosopher. Highly recommended for anyone on an inner journey.