After Emerson

The author of Emerson & Self-Culture shares essays covering such themes as identity, experience, ethics, poetry, philosophy, history, and race. John T. Lysaker works between and weaves together questions and replies in philosophical psychology, Emerson studies, and ethics in this book of deep existential questioning. Each essay in this atypical, philosophical book employs recurring terms, phrases, and questions that characterize our contemporary age. Setting out from the idea of where we are in an almost literal sense, Lysaker takes readers on an intellectual journey into thematic concerns and commitments of broad interest, such as the nature of self and self-experience, ethical life, poetry and philosophy, and history and race. In the manner of Emerson, Cavell, and Rorty, Lysaker’s vibrant writing is certain to have a transformative effect on American philosophy today. “An original and stimulating book, manifesting a level of reflection and existential concern of the highest order. It is intellectually and personally honest.” —Robert E. Innis, author of Susanne Langer in Focus “There is something fresh and hence refreshing in the manner in which John T. Lysaker takes up familiar topics. He shows, with both arresting details and an evolving design, how the conduct of life (to use Emerson’s expression) demands a form of thought frequently at odds with contemporary fashions and preoccupations, with institutionally entrenched approaches and all too rigidly policed discourses.” —Vincent Colapietro, author of Experience, Interpretation, and Community “Acknowledged as one of his generations premier Emerson scholars, Lysaker goes beyond his earlier work, Emerson & Self-Culture . . . [T]he writing is stimulating, vibrant, challenging, risky, and fecund. Recommended.” —D. B. Boersma, Choice

Stanley Cavell is a titan of the academic world; his work in aesthetics and philosophy has shaped both fields in the United States over the past forty years. In this brief yet enlightening collection of lectures, Cavell investigates the work of two of his most tried-and-true subjects: Emerson and Wittgenstein. Beginning with an introductory essay that places his own work in a philosophical and historical context, Cavell guides his reader through his thought process when composing and editing his lectures while making larger claims about the influence of institutions on philosophers, and the idea of progress within the discipline of philosophy. In “Declining Decline,” Cavell explains how language modifies human existence, looking specifically at the culture of Wittgenstein’s writings. He draws on Emerson, Thoreau, and many others to make his case that Wittgenstein can indeed be viewed as a “philosopher of culture.” In his final lecture, “Finding as Founding,” Cavell writes in response to Emerson’s “Experience,” and explores the tension between the philosopher and language—that he or she must embrace language as his or her “form of life,” while at the same time surpassing its restrictions. He compares finding new ideas to discovering a previously unknown land in an essay that unabashedly celebrates the power and joy of philosophical thought.

The CliffsNotes study guide on Emerson's Essays supplements the original literary work, giving you background information about the author, an introduction to the work, critical commentaries, and expanded glossaries all for you to use as an educational tool that will allow you to better understand the work. This study guide was written with the assumption that you have read Essays. Reading a literary work doesn’t mean that you immediately grasp the major themes and devices used by the author; this study guide will help supplement your reading to be sure you get all you can from Emerson's Essays. CliffsNotes Review tests your comprehension of the original text and reinforces learning with questions and answers, practice projects, and more. For further information on Emerson's Essays, check out the CliffsNotes Resource Center at www.cliffsnotes.com. IN THIS BOOK Learn about the Life and Background of the author Hear an Introduction to Essays Explore themes and recurring images in the Critical Commentaries Learn new words from the Glossary at the end of each Chapter Acquire an understanding of Essays with Critical Essays Reinforce what you learn to further your study online at www.cliffsnotes.com

This comprehensive portrait of Emerson draws from newly available material, including correspondence between the Emerson brothers.

Discover the life and ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who championed individualism and presciently criticized societal pressures. In this biography, you'll follow Emerson's journey as he moved away from the beliefs of his contemporaries and formulated the philosophy of transcendentalism, which he disseminated through numerous published essays and public lectures across the United States. Through his famous essays, including 'Self-Reliance' and 'The Over-Soul', Emerson developed ideas such as individuality, freedom, and the relationship between the soul and the surrounding world. He was a linchpin of the American romantic movement and a mentor and friend to fellow transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau.

One tiny act of kindness can have a huge impact. And in this heartwarming, hopeful, absolutely true story, a simple letter does just that. A true story that quickly went viral, this is now a timely, extraordinary picture book. Sincerely, Emerson follows eleven-year-old Emerson Weber as she writes a letter of thanks to her postal carrier, Doug, and creates a nationwide outpouring of love. This is a story of gratitude, hope, and recognition: for all the essential helpers we see everyday, and all those who go unseen. Perfect for sharing alongside such favorites as Pat Zietlow Miller and Jen Hill's Be Kind and Matt de la Peña and Loren Long's Love. There are lots of ways to help the world go round: Some people collect the trash. Some stock grocery shelves. Some drive buses and trains. Some help people who are sick. Some deliver our mail. And some people write letters.

Letters and Social Aims, published in 1875, contains essays originally published early in the 1840s as well as those that were the product of a collaborative effort among Emerson, his daughter Ellen Tucker Emerson, his son Edward Waldo Emerson, and his literary executor James Eliot Cabot. The volume takes up the topics of Poetry and Imagination, Social Aims, Eloquence, Resources, The Comic, Quotation and Originality, Progress of Culture, Persian Poetry, Inspiration, Greatness, and, appropriately for Emerson's last published book, Immortality. The historical introduction demonstrates for the first time the decline in Emerson's creative powers after 1865; the strain caused by the preparation of a poetry anthology and delivery of lectures at Harvard during this time; the devastating effect of a house fire in 1872; and how the Emerson children and Cabot worked together to enable Emerson to complete the book. The textual introduction traces this collaborative process in detail and also provides new information about the genesis of the volume as a response to a proposed unauthorized British edition of Emerson's works. Historical Introduction by Ronald A. BoscoNotes and Parallel Passages by Glen M. JohnsonText Established and Textual Introduction and Apparatus by Joel Myerson