Bachelor Thesis from the year 2016 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Literature, University of Dusseldorf "Heinrich Heine" (English), course: American Literature, language: English, abstract: This Bachelor thesis addressed the themes of nature and transcendence in Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essays and Mary Oliver’s poems in a comparative manner. Transcendentalism is best known as a literary genre in the American literature. It was a whole new system, which was built upon various literal, religious, and philosophical studies, such as Idealism. Ralph Waldo Emerson, who was born in 1803, is the first person to define Transcendentalism. With his essay ‘The Transcendentalist’ Emerson (1841) presented transcendentalism as a philosophical movement, which, then in years, developed into a spiritual, as well as a religious movement that evoked a social reform in society. The transcendentalists adopted a metaphysical view on the phenomena of nature, wherefore we find a collection of works written on the theme of ‘nature’ at that time. Mary Oliver, on the contrary, who was born on September 1935, is the winner of the Pulitzer Prize for American Primitive (1984). She wrote over twenty books, including her poems, essays and two books about poetry. Oliver writes a lot about nature and often uses religious or spiritual vocabulary in her works, such as God, soul, prayer, etc. The scholars mostly focus on the notions of ecoethics, feminism and mindfulness in her poetry. Still, it is hard to put Oliver’s lyric into a certain framework. What is Emerson’s transcendental philosophy concerned with? What do Mary Oliver’s poems depict about the soul and God? Does it have any relevance with the Emersonian idea of transcendence? How is nature described in Emerson’s essays? Does the phenomenon of nature in Mary Oliver’s poems have any similarities with Emerson’s idea of nature? What do Spirit, Soul and God refer to in Emerson’s works? What is the role of man in existence in Emerson’s essay as opposed to Mary Oliver’s speakers? To sum up, my goal with this thesis is to observe the notions of nature and transcendence in both authors’ selected works, in order to find out, whether there are any correlations or differences between their ideas. The questions mentioned above will be answered in detail in the following chapters.

Introduction by Mary Oliver Commentary by Henry James, Robert Frost, Matthew Arnold, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and Henry David Thoreau The definitive collection of Emerson’s major speeches, essays, and poetry, The Essential Writings of Ralph Waldo Emerson chronicles the life’s work of a true “American Scholar.” 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.” INCLUDES A MODERN LIBRARY READING GROUP GUIDE

A soul-satisfying collection of 12 essays by the noted philosopher and poet who embraced independence, rejected conformity, and loved nature. Includes the title essay, plus "Character," "Intellect," "Spiritual Laws," "Circles," and others.

A new, wide-ranging selection of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s most influential writings, this edition captures the essence of American Transcendentalism and illustrates the breadth of one of America’s greatest philosophers and poets. The writings featured here show Emerson as a protester against social conformity, a lover of nature, an activist for the rights of women and slaves, and a poet of great sensitivity. As explored in this volume, Emersonian thought is a unique blend of belief in individual freedom and in humility before the power of nature. “I become a transparent eyeball,” Emerson wrote in Nature, “I am nothing; I see all; the currents of the Universal Being circulate through me; I am part or particle of God.” Written over a century ago, this passage is a striking example of the passion and originality of Emerson’s ideas, which continue to serve as a spiritual center and an ideological base for modern thought.

A classic collection of critical essays, poems, and letters from one of the greatest minds of nineteenth-century America.

An indispensible look at Emerson's influential life philosophy Through his writing and his own personal philosophy, Ralph Waldo Emerson unburdened his young country of Europe's traditional sense of history and showed Americans how to be creators of their own circumstances. His mandate, which called for harmony with, rather than domestication of, nature, and for a reliance on individual integrity, rather than on materialistic institutions, is echoed in many of the great American philosophical and literary works of his time and ours, and has given an impetus to modern political and social activism. Larzer Ziff's introduction to this collection of fifteen of Emerson's most significant writings provides the important backdrop to the society in which Emerson lived during his formative years. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Seminar paper from the year 2008 in the subject American Studies - Literature, grade: 1,3, University of Tubingen (Institut für Amerikanistik), course: Literary Transcendentalism, language: English, abstract: Ralph Waldo Emerson today is known as one of the leading figures of the American transcendentalist movement. After his studies at Harvard Divinity School he became minister at Second Church in Boston. In 1832, he decided to give up his original profession as a Unitarian Minister, when he realized that he did not agree anymore with the views of the Christian Church which proclaimed that Jesus was the only real prophet, and that revelation is something which is already over (cf. Woodlief). Emerson especially made his opinion clear concerning these views in his provocative lecture and essay “Divinity School Address”. Instead of his religious profession as a minister, he then pursued a career as an orator, a writer, and a poet, but still then religion played an important role in his life, and religious influence can be seen throughout his writings. Emerson regarded the person of the poet as one of the most important and greatest figures among men. He refers to the poet, his abilities and his importance in many of his works like “Nature”, Representative Men and “The American Scholar”. He even dedicated a whole essay, which is called “The Poet”, to this topic. In this essay he reflects upon the person and the importance of the poet as well as his poetry which he also considered as highly significant for men. This essay will show that Emerson’s concept of the poet plays a central role in his idea of how men can gain insight into the secrets and the truths of the world and how they can regain access to the Oversoul. It will do so, by especially focusing on the works mentioned above. At first, it will look at Emerson’s understanding of the terms “poet” and “poetry” which serves as a basis for the following exploration of the poet’s functions as representative, Seer, Prophet and Namer or Language-maker. Afterwards, the poet’s role in society in general and especially his importance for America, on the basis of his functions, is analyzed. In the last part, Emerson’s idea of the “perfect” poet and his value for society is described before the essay finishes with a concluding statement.

DigiCat Publishing presents to you this special edition of "Essays by Ralph Waldo Emerson" by Ralph Waldo Emerson. DigiCat Publishing considers every written word to be a legacy of humankind. Every DigiCat book has been carefully reproduced for republishing in a new modern format. The books are available in print, as well as ebooks. DigiCat hopes you will treat this work with the acknowledgment and passion it deserves as a classic of world literature.