Essays
Assigned by 2 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 1841 and 1844
- Form
- Essay
- Language
- English
- Length
- Medium · 300 pp120 to 300 pages
- Difficulty
- Demanding3 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendEssays and LecturesLibrary of America, 1983Joel Porte's volume prints both series complete alongside Nature and the addresses.
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Emerson's two series of essays, drawn from his lectures and journals. The First Series of 1841 contains History, Self-Reliance, Compensation, Spiritual Laws, Love, Friendship, Prudence, Heroism, The Over-Soul, Circles, Intellect and Art. The Second Series of 1844 adds The Poet, Experience, Character, Manners, Gifts, Nature, Politics, Nominalist and Realist and New England Reformers. They argue that every person has direct access to the truth without church, book or party, that conformity is a kind of suicide, and that nature and the soul answer to each other.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns Essays are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
