Lecture on Ralph waldo Emerson(V)培训讲义.pptVIP

Lecture 4on Ralph Waldo Emerson 拉尔夫·瓦尔多·爱默生 (1803-1882) (The images of US philosopher, essayist and poet, Ralph Waldo Emerson) Outline His life and major works What is New England Transcendentalism? Romanticism in America Theme of “Self-Reliance” Some quotes from “Self-Reliance” Emerson’s philosophy of the Individual Style of Emerson’s essays Assignments 1. His life and major works Ralph Waldo Emerson was an American essayist, poet, philosopher, and leader of the Transcendentalist movement in the early 19th century. Born in Boston, Massachusetts, son of a Unitarian minister; Educated at Harvard (1817-21,1825), Emerson became a Unitarian minister 1829. In 1832 he resigned and traveled to Europe, meeting the British writers Thomas Carlyle 1. His life and major works Samuel Coleridge and William Wordsworth. On his return to Massachusetts in 1833 he settled in Concord. He worked alongside Margaret Fuller, William Channing and Henry Thoreau to develop Transcendentalism. In 1840 he helped to launch the literary magazine The Dial, which he also edited for a time. 1. His life and major works He made a second visit to England 1847 and incorporated his impressions in English Traits 1856. His poetry, much of which was published in The Dial, includes ‘The Rhodora’, ‘Threnody’, and ‘Brahma’. His later works include Representative Men 1850 and The Conduct of Life 1870. Literary Influences: The Hindu Vedas, Montaigne, Kant. 1. His life and major works He wrote Nature (1836), which states the movement’s main principles emphasizing the value of self-reliance and the godlike nature of human souls. As a result of this ground breaking work he gave a speech entitled The American Scholar in 1837, which is considered to be America’s “Intellectual Declaration of Independence.” 1. His life and major works In 1838 he was invited back to Harvard Divinity School, for the school’s graduation address, which came to be known as his Divinity School Address.