Emerson is for sure the best trascendentalist of all...mainly because of his original ideas.
He encouraged people to believe in themselves, to fallow their own istinct and to live regardless others' opinions.
He was incredibly devoted to nature and according to the description he gave of it (the stars as heavenly worlds, the perpetual presence of the sublime seen...), he seemed to know its real essence. When he says "nature never wears a mean appearance" he means that it will never pretend to be something different, it will always appear in the same, absolutely real way. Because of its perfection, nobody will ever stop being curious and willing to discover its innermost secret...
Being alone, in solitude doesn't really mean being alone... one can be alone even sorrounded by a crowd. Everyone has their own way to enter their own world and it can be either when surrounded by nature (like Emerson), or among thousands of people.
The point is, that Emerson was brave enough to be completely honest and say to the world what he really thought. At that time people considered his thought outrageous, now, after more than a century, a lot of people like me are full of admiration.
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Mavy,
ReplyDeleteI like the fact that what you seem to admire most about Emerson is the courage of his convictions--his ability to hold true to his "original" ideas even in the face of a potentially hostile reaction. Like, Nature, he seems "absolutely real" in this regard. This sense of courage--the ability to hold true to one's ideas (and ideals) even when those around you disagree (something Emerson picks up again in "Self-Reliance") could well provide a good springboard for an interesting essay. We'll see!
FOr now, thanks for getting this posted!