Emerson's Prose and Poetry: A Norton Critical Edition

Whether 'Modern Literary ' or 'Bantam' or 'Norton' or even the 'Collected Works' one comes to the essential thing which is the writing of Emerson himself. There is almost always the selection from 'Nature' and 'The Harvard Divinity School Address' and selections of other 'Essays' and some of the poetry including the anthology pieces like 'Concord Hymn' and perhaps some of the diary writing. Emerson is along with Thoreau is the great American prose-poet, the one whose prose reads like poetry, and whose poetry often seems to run on like prose. He is the master- metaphor- maker of a new American day and hero. Emerson stands for a certain kind of American hope and integrity, and a cosmic freedom embracing all the universe. If he goes East it is also part of his going West, and surrounding the world with circles. Through his translucent 'eyeball' he sees America for what it is, and dreams its heroes' greatness. Emerson uplifts and inspires and teaches- among others Thoreau and Whitman. He is the American thinker who can contend with the best Europe has to offer. In some sense all of American philosophy, including 'pragmatism' will come out of his work. Whatever anthology he is read in, he opens mankind to a new conception of itself, and its distant destiny.

This volume is an excellent compendium of Emerson's work. It contains material not available in the Library of America editions. Beware of the critical essays, though, particularly the contemporary ones. It's hard to tell from Cornel West's essay whether or not he's actually read Emerson, but if he has, he didn't like him much. So why write an essay appraising Emerson? It's the silly, empty-headed kind of academic noodling that makes academia irrelevant to modern life.This begs the larger question: Why would anyone read ABOUT Emerson, when they could READ Emerson? Ignore the critics, commentators and wannabe's. READ EMERSON.