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m_kinclova's review against another edition
informative
inspiring
reflective
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Some interesting thoughts, especially in the essay Nature. Self-reliance is just an essay that I didn’t agree with which made it hard to finish.
It really feels like Emerson really liked to listen to himself and transferred it to paper. Because that way he won’t get any feedback and he can go on for age
It really feels like Emerson really liked to listen to himself and transferred it to paper. Because that way he won’t get any feedback and he can go on for age
spectracommunist's review against another edition
5.0
Penguin Great Ideas: 5/100, Series 3: 1/10
“But if a man be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and vulgar things. One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime. Seen in the streets of cities, how great they are! If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.”
Beside being uncompromisingly informative, however, it's so appeasing that it's meditative. This is the original naturalist manifesto that everyone should read atleast as the children of nature.
The essay even revolves around the foundation of poetry that originated in nature and how we as a human being relate our thoughts with animals and other earthly things and thus the comprehended brain-storming is expressed through words that aren't sufficient enough. Every sentence of this text is indeed a quote.
“But if a man be alone, let him look at the stars. The rays that come from those heavenly worlds, will separate between him and vulgar things. One might think the atmosphere was made transparent with this design, to give man, in the heavenly bodies, the perpetual presence of the sublime. Seen in the streets of cities, how great they are! If the stars should appear one night in a thousand years, how would men believe and adore; and preserve for many generations the remembrance of the city of God which had been shown! But every night come out these envoys of beauty, and light the universe with their admonishing smile.”
Beside being uncompromisingly informative, however, it's so appeasing that it's meditative. This is the original naturalist manifesto that everyone should read atleast as the children of nature.
The essay even revolves around the foundation of poetry that originated in nature and how we as a human being relate our thoughts with animals and other earthly things and thus the comprehended brain-storming is expressed through words that aren't sufficient enough. Every sentence of this text is indeed a quote.
hudikatz's review against another edition
3.0
Like the stanforths, RWE is a unitarian king. He struggles to blend enlightenment rationalism with his theology and his romanticism. These three key aspects separate him from puritan environmental thinkers and the later secular romantics (emerson fanboy John Muir is understood better after reading Nature. This was dense and hard to follow but I am glad I read it and its work putting three gruelling hours into. You might see nature differently, theres a chance I will.
rfiddlesticks's review against another edition
5.0
Hmm, like I could review such a transcendent book of wonder.
alanffm's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars was not my first choice upon reflecting on this collection of essays, but I have come to believe this is a text of great importance and worth a good read. Divided into three parts, Nature, History and Self-Reliance , Emerson's critic remains as relevant to 19th century America as it does today. Emerson's core thesis is one that stresses the importance of man IN nature and not out of it. This shocked many readers who, apparently, believed the non-civilized and wild world to be innately bad. I am told the essay Nature is what inspired people to go on nature walks. Impressive!
There is a great amount of information to take from these essays. The idea that civilization is a hollow system that we, the living, are meant to rejuvenate with life, stood out for me. The idea that nature is God and to find religious/spiritual enlightenment is to know nature, is another idea worthy of investigation. Emerrson also stresses the importance of reminding ourselves that all great thinkers, from Aristotle, to Spinoza, are just people (often young) who existed in the same sphere of nature and being that we mostly do today - that is to say: do not put them on a pedestal. While to many these ideas may not seem ground-breaking, it is important to remember the historical significance of Emerson's essays on American life and culture. Many often site his works as uniquely American in its philosophy and optimism. I could not agree more.
My only criticism is that Emerson can sound somewhat Utopian in his vision of "the woods" that bring "perpetual youth" (Nature).
There is a great amount of information to take from these essays. The idea that civilization is a hollow system that we, the living, are meant to rejuvenate with life, stood out for me. The idea that nature is God and to find religious/spiritual enlightenment is to know nature, is another idea worthy of investigation. Emerrson also stresses the importance of reminding ourselves that all great thinkers, from Aristotle, to Spinoza, are just people (often young) who existed in the same sphere of nature and being that we mostly do today - that is to say: do not put them on a pedestal. While to many these ideas may not seem ground-breaking, it is important to remember the historical significance of Emerson's essays on American life and culture. Many often site his works as uniquely American in its philosophy and optimism. I could not agree more.
My only criticism is that Emerson can sound somewhat Utopian in his vision of "the woods" that bring "perpetual youth" (Nature).