|
Ralph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803 in Boston, Massachusetts. Emerson’s father, a Unitarian Minister died when he was 8 years old. Many of his ancestors were ministers and educated men and women. His aunt, Mary Moody Emerson, who lived with them, was an avid reader well educated also. So, at a young age, Emerson was introduced to books and learning. Wherever he went he took books along. He read in church, and he read at night in bed. It was in bed each night that he read the works of the Greek philosopher, Plato.
Emerson went to Harvard and worked for room and board. Graduating in 1821, he began teaching school while attending Harvard Divinity College. He became a minister in 1829 of the Unitarian Church.
He married a woman named Ellen Tucker shortly after becoming a minister. He worked long and hard for years in order to secure a decent living for his family. His congregation enjoyed him, his marriage and his job appeared successful.
Things were soon to change for Emerson though. In 1831, Waldo’s wife died of tuberculosis. Soon after, he experienced the deaths of his two brothers and his first son. The ill-timed deaths of his two brothers, Edward in 1834 and Charles in 1836, brought Waldo deeper into grief and despair. His only ray of joy was his second marriage to Lydia Jackson of Plymouth, Massachusetts. Waldo renamed Lydia, Lidian, because he felt it had a more euphoric sound to it, and Waldo settled in a new home in Concord Massachusetts where their first son Waldo was born in 1836. In 1842, Lidian and Waldo faced the death of little Waldo from scarlet fever. But, they had three of other children, Ellen was born in 1838, Edith in 1841, and Edward in 1844. Waldo faced more deaths in his life with his mother in 1853, his other brother Bulkeley in 1859, his Aunt Mary in 1863, his other brother William in 1868, and his good friend Henry David Thoreau in 1862.
Emerson had many visits and conversations with romantic poets. His most important meeting was with an author virtually unknown at that time—Thomas Carlyle. It was through this meeting with Carlyle that Emerson developed his philosophy. Carlyle’s doctrinal message to Emerson moved him to thought beyond any he had ever before reached. The philosophy of Carlyle was that “the whole material universe is an emblem of a deeper reality,” which Carlyle called, ‘a garment of the spirit.’ Carlyle believed, “that since God is everywhere, the true comprehension of any detail offers a key to the comprehension of everything.” Emerson and Carlyle would continue their friendship for the balance of their lives.
In 1836, Waldo published, “Nature,” which was his first volume describing his Transcendental philosophy. Transcendentalism is “the recognition in man of the capacity of knowing truth intuitively, or of attaining knowledge transcending [reaching outside] the reach of the senses.” Emerson wrote and lectured on Transcendentalism and become its principal spokesperson. Waldo made great attempts to distinguish between what he called the understanding (rational sense) and reason (intuitive sense). Emerson fell deeply into this belief that intuition was deeper and trustworthier than any thing else given man by society or religion. It is in Self-Reliance, his most notable work, that he actually states this belief: “Nothing is at last sacred but the integrity of your own mind.” One thing Waldo found different in his philosophy from Carlyle was the part of nature in life. Waldo found nature to be more important in life than Carlyle did. Emerson found many things in nature that brought about changes and influences in his life.
During the 1800’s, Emerson traveled lecturing by train and horse and buggy traveling throughout the mid-Atlantic and the New England states venturing even as far as the Pacific Coast to speak. He published in magazines and books during this time to help supplement his income. In 1841 he published “Essays” and in 1844 “Essays: Second Series.” In 1850 and 1860, he published “Representative Men” and “The Conduct of Life.”
Emerson felt two forces, which he called “practical considerations and intuition where the middle world is best.” In his essay, “Experience” he stated this belief of the “actual horizon of life.” As Plato philosophized the universe in a balance, Waldo also tried to follow that same philosophy because he felt himself “a balanced soul” because of his understanding of two elements—“concrete things and the spirit pervading them.” This thought pattern was transferred to Emerson’s poetry and prose. Emerson found himself stressing the association of concrete things and the spirit that encompasses them. He would define this relationship in two manners:
1.“We unite all things by seeing the law which pervades them; by perceiving the superficial differences and the profound resemblances.”
2.“He shows concrete details in a way that points out the meaning of the whole reflected in them.”
In 1872, the house Lidian and Waldo lived for over 30 years burned down. This seemed the final blow for Emerson, however, surrounded by loved ones, a collection was taken. While Emerson traveled abroad, the house was rebuilt and his library reconstructed. In 1873, Emerson returned from his travels and found his beautiful home restored. It was in this home that he remained until his death on April 27, 1882. Emerson died of pneumonia and was buried on Poets’ Knoll in Sleepy Hollow cemetery.
Resources:
Emerson's Complete Works, twelve volumes, Houghton, 1883-1893.
The Complete Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson 1903- 1904.
Young Emerson Speaks: Unpublished Discourses on Many Subjects, Houghton, 1938.
The Collected Works of Ralph Waldo Emerson Harvard, University Press, 1971.
|
| |
