The Annotated Emerson

The Annotated Emerson

• Used Book in Good Condition

<p>A brilliant essayist and a master of the aphorism (€œOur moods do not believe in each other€; €œMoney often costs too much€), Emerson has inspired countless writers. He challenged Americans to shut their ears against Europe€s €œcourtly muses€ and to forge a new, distinctly American cultural identity. But he remains one of America€s least understood writers. And, by his own admission, he spawned neither school nor follower (he valued independent thought too much). Now, in this annotated selection of Emerson€s writings, David Mikics instructs the reader in a larger appreciation of Emerson€s essential works and the remarkable thinker who produced them.</p><p>Full of color illustrations and rich in archival photographs, this volume offers much for the specialist and general reader. In his running commentaries on Emerson€s essays, addresses, and poems, Mikics illuminates contexts, allusions, and language likely to cause difficulty to modern readers. He quotes extensively from Emerson€s <i>Journal</i> to shed light on particular passages or lines and examines Emerson the essayist, poet, itinerant lecturer, and political activist. Finally, in his Foreword, Phillip Lopate makes the case for Emerson as a spectacular truth teller€•a model of intellectual labor and anti-dogmatic sanity.</p><p>Anyone who values Emerson will want to own this edition. Those wishing to discover, or to reacquaint themselves with, Emerson€s writings but who have not known where or how to begin will not find a better starting place or more reliable guide than <i>The Annotated Emerson</i>.</p>