LITR 5535 American Romanticism UHCL 2005 student reading presentation

LITR 5535: American Romanticism

Student Presentation on Reading Selections 2005

Monday 4 April: Ralph Waldo Emerson, N 482-497, 514-519, 527-533, 539-544 (introduction & opening sections of Nature, The American Scholar, Divinity School Address, & Self-Reliance).

selection reader / discussion leader: Joni Thrasher

Joni Thrasher April 4, 2005

Emerson: Presentation Summary

Focus: Objective 1c: Romantic Genres

Identifying Emerson’s essay, “The American Scholar,” as Romantic by examining the scholar’s quest toward transcendence.

Ralph Waldo Emerson: “The American Scholar”

Emerson describes a scholar on a journey, a quest for wisdom, which is implied throughout the essay, though never specifically referred to as a quest (519, 526). The following quote implies the nature of the journey:

“If there be one lesson more than another which should pierce his [scholar’s] ear, it is, The world is nothing, the man is all; in yourself is the law of all nature, and you know not yet how a globule of sap ascends; in yourself slumbers the whole of Reason; it is for you to know all, it is for you to dare all. […] if the single man plant himself indomitably on his instincts, and there abide, the huge world will come round to him. […] for solace, the perspective of your own infinite life; and for work, the study and the communication of principles, the making those instincts prevalent, the conversation of the world” (526).

o In other words, the scholar’s quest is to seek and find wisdom, and then and share the lessons learned.

Some Key Elements of Emerson’s Scholar’s Journey:

o Correspondence:

o The scholar needs to recognize that his mind corresponds with nature (515).

“Its [nature’s] laws are the laws of his own mind” (516).

o Learning from the Past / Anything But the Here and Now: Emerson’s Twist

o The scholar should recognize the importance of learning from past scholars but should also recognize the limits of their knowledge (516). Emerson says of books, “The theory of books is noble.” He then explains that writers lived, experienced life, gained wisdom, and then shared their vision of truth. “It now endures, it now flies, it now inspires” (516).

However, he also shares, “Each age, it is found, must write its own books; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding. The books of an older period will not fit this” (516). He goes on to argue that books do not have ever-lasting truths, explaining that the genius that appeared in the writings of Cicero, Locke, Bacon, and Shakespeare should do no more than inspire—they do not contain truths that are necessarily relevant to succeeding generations.

o This seems to be a twist on the Romantic theme, “anything but the here and now:” He seems to be saying, Now but not Here (in this place). Live in the present, but make changes. Emerson does not seem to look back fondly, with nostalgia, to the past. It’s gone—live in the ‘now.’

o Experience

o Another key aspect of the scholar’s journey is the method of gaining wisdom is through experience (519). Experience becomes transfigured into wisdom: He must be active and gain experience “through drudgery, calamity, want” (519). But Emerson also considers reflection to be active – explaining that the scholar can gain experience through reflection of past active events:

“It is the raw material out of which the intellect moulds her splendid products. A strange process too, this, by which experience is converted into thought [. . .]. In some contemplative hour, it [action] is raised, transfigured [ . . . ]. Always now it is an object of beauty, however base its origin and neighborhood” (519).

o Heroic Journey

o This quest of the he Romantic Scholar is a heroic one. Through this process, the scholar becomes a hero to the masses (523).

“Men in history, men in the world of to-day are bugs, are spawn, and are called ‘the mass’ and ‘the herd.’ [. . .] They sun themselves in the great man’s light, and feel it to be their own element. They cast the dignity of man from their downtrod selves upon the shoulders of a hero [. . .]. He lives for us, and we live in him” (523).

o Emerson’s Vision for America

o The final aspect of Emerson’s essay is his vision for America. He envisions America becoming a nation of scholars.

“A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men” (526).

CONCLUSION:

Emerson’s essay, “The American Scholar,” contains his instructions for intellectuals to live heroic lives. He shares the reasons, method, and the results of living such a life.

This sounds formulaic; however, most importantly, his work is open-ended. His ideas seem to be purposely hard to pin down. He does seem to firmly present the idea that man is capable of finding “his” answer, but he does not seem to claim that man can find “the” answer. Instead, he suggests that there is no final answer—whatever is right for a particular time period may not be right for the next. Because experience plays such a large role in this journey, then by nature, individuals would have individualistic experiences, hence individualistic journeys.

Questions:

Besides the quest, what other elements of Romanticism are found in the American Scholar and/or in Emerson’s other essays?

Rebellion:

“Self-Reliance” – against society/church
“Divinity” –against traditional church

Progressive nature of society:

Generations change: “Each age, it is found, must write its own books; or rather, each generation for the next succeeding” (516).
He contradicts in some ways his previous ideas about books. He says, “With the views I have intimated on the oneness or the identity of the mind through all individuals, I do not much dwell on these differences (referring to epics, Classic, Romantic, Reflective Ages). But then he looks to the new age, saying they can be combined with old: “…when the historic glories of the old, can be compensated by the rich possibilities of the new era” (524).

Correspondence: All essays: Fundamental, essential to his ideas.

Man Corresponds to Nature: Discussing nature, Emerson presents the general idea of correspondence: “Therein it [nature] resembles his [scholar’s] own spirit” (515). He also offers a specific example: “The astronomer discovers that geometry, a pure abstraction of the human mind, is the measure of planetary motion” (516).

· Man’s correspondence with all men: “For a man, rightly viewed, comprehendeth the particular natures of all men” (523).

The Individual: “The American Scholar,” “Self-Reliance”

He celebrates the coming age of the elevation of the common man. “I ask not for the great […] I embrace the common” (525).

Idealism: all of the essays sound idealistic
Quest: “The American Scholar,” “Self-Reliance:”
Imagination: placed on higher theoretical plane: “Self-Reliance”

Is the scholar’s quest realistic or is it a purely romantic idea? If realistic, was Emerson the American scholar, hero to the masses?

Whether the individual believes this quest is realistic or not depends on his or her own ideas about humanity’s relationship with the material and/or spiritual world. For some, yes, they do believe this is a realistic quest, that humans can search for “all” knowledge/wisdom, becoming divine. For others, the goal is unrealistic but that does not negate all of Emerson’s ideas. Some of his specific ideas can be embraced without having to believe in the ultimate goal he suggests. In other words, you can agree with many of his specific ideas without having to believe in his conclusions.

Volumes have been written on Emerson’s influence on other writers and on our culture. Are Emerson’s ideas from American Scholar relevant to our current culture, or are his ideas out of date/out of time?

In “Divinity School Address” and “The American Scholar,” Emerson suggests that reading “old” texts is not the correct way to find contemporary truths. Following this line of thinking, then should we not study his “old” texts? This may be something to consider, but we should remember that he also suggested mixing the old with the new, so he would more likely recommend that we combine those ideas of his that our current culture connects with to new cultural ideas.

CLOSING:

Normally, when we say we are reading a piece of writing that is romantic, we think of narratives. And even though this piece is not a narrative, it is related to narrative, that is, it invites the reader to write his or her own story, after finding inspiration from the essay.

(Pre-presentation submission)

Emerson Discussion: “The American Scholar”

Text Passages:

“It is the raw material out of which the intellect moulds her splendid products. A strange process too, this, by which experience is converted into thought [. . .]. In some contemplative hour, it [action] is raised, transfigured [. . .]. Always now it is an object of beauty, however base its origin and neighborhood” (519)

Its [nature’s] laws are the laws of his own mind” (516).

“A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men” (526).

Objective 1c: Romantic Genres

Identifying Emerson’s essay, “The American Scholar,” as Romantic by examining the scholar’s quest toward transcendence.

Questions:

Is the scholar’s quest realistic or is it a purely romantic idea? If realistic, was Emerson the American scholar, hero to the masses?
Volumes have been written on Emerson’s influence on other writers and on our culture. Are Emerson’s ideas from American Scholar relevant to our current culture, or are his ideas out of date, from another time that has passed?
Besides the quest, what other elements of Romanticism are found in the American Scholar and/or in Emerson’s other essays?