Society and Solitude [Paperback]

Ralph Waldo Emerson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001

A discourse by Ralph Waldo Emerson. This is one of his last works and contains essays on Society and Solitude, Civilization, Art, Books, Courage, Old Age, etc. Emerson is one of the most influential thinkers in American history. His Transcendentalism preached a close communion with man and nature and is one of the great life-affirming philosophies of any age. Society and Solitude provides a salient exemplification of Emerson's thought. As one of the architects of the transcendentalist movement, Emerson embraced a philosophy that championed the individual, emphasized independent thought, and prized "the splendid labyrinth of one's own perceptions." More than any writer of his time, he forged a style distinct from his European predecessors and embodied and defined what it meant to be an American. Matthew Arnold called Emerson's essays "the most important work done in prose." "I was simmering, simmering, simmering. Emerson brought me to a boil."

--Walt Whitman

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--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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American poet and philosopher RALPH WALDO EMERSON (1803-1882) was a driving force behind the Transcendental Movement of the early 18th century. He studied at Harvard Divinity School; however, after a crisis of faith embraced individualism, rejected authority, and despaired of spiritless Christian conventions. His works include the essay collection Nature, Conduct of Life, and Parnassus, a poetry chapbook as well as Compensation and Self-Reliance from his lecture series. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Fredonia Books (NL) (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589634624
• ISBN-13: 978-1589634626
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,810,908 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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0 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pre-Inflation, July 26, 2004

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Brian Davidson (Chicago, Illinois, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Society and Solitude (Paperback)

These days, celebrity authors earn thousands of dollars for a speech, but back in the 1880s, Ralph Waldo Emerson, the first American author known to receive payment for delivering a talk, was paid $5 and oats for his horse.