John's review
Emerson: Selected Essays (Penguin Classics)
by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Larzer Ziff
John's review
Emerson: Selected Essays (Penguin Classics) by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Larzer Ziff
John's review
rating:
recommended for: Philosophy readers, artists, classic readers, Americana readers
Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the fathers of the American spirit, not crafting its bill of rights or structure of government, but in defining individuality, pragmatism and spirituality for a new country built on people escaping the old. The seminal essay, "On Self-Reliance," is worth the price of this book alone, as it echoes everything our mothers told us as kids - but the rub is, this is where they got it. It is not the hardest-edged philosophy, Hell, anyone can read this and make sense of it, but its quality is irrefutable. Thank goodness, though, essays of lesser gravity are included, like the amusing "Circles," in which Emerson explores the curious frequency of circles in our world, from planets to cells. These are the thoughts of a great thinker, put as plainly and beautifully as he could, doing his best to convince you of his positions, while simultaneously pushing you to think for yourself.
