Ralph Waldo Emerson

Texts by Ralph Waldo Emerson

• Self-Reliance

• Loss and Gain 
• Emerson Divinity Speech

Resources about Ralph Waldo Emerson

1. Alcott, Amos B. "Ralph Waldo Emerson." Plato.Stanford.Edu. 31 Dec. 2004. Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. 02 June 2007 <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/emerson/>.

The main purpose for the website is to present information about the life and works of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Ralph Waldo Emerson achieved worldwide fame as a lecturer and the author of such essays as “Self-Reliance,” “History,” “The Over-Soul,” and “Fate.” This is the main reason that this author is an important person in the specific literary period. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s writings are critical to an understanding of the literary period because he wrote about Transcendental Doctrines. This resource is helpful in making meaning of other elements, such as texts, because it gives a list of text Emerson wrote. This resource contains list of themes that Emerson wrote about. The website is a credible website because the author is clearly indicated. The organization in which the author is connected with is also listed. The website has a long list of references and a bibliography to show where the information is derived from. The website is a reputable source; it is Stanford University’s Encyclopedia of Philosophy.

2. Hampson, Thomas.  “I Hear America Singing.”  PBS Online. 8 June 2007.  < http://www.pbs.org/wnet/ihas/poet/emerson.html >.

            This article, from PBS’s home page, not only gives a historical background for the leading author of the transcendental movement, it cites famous passages from some of his more famous works.  I found this website helpful in getting to know Emerson’s personal history, like where he was born, where he studied, the beginnings and progression of his literature, and how he died.  I also found the little excerpts from some of his famous pieces to be enlightening, since I had not previously read much of Emerson.  PBS checks out great on credibility, so there were no worries there.  All in all, this article was simple, yet highly informative. 

3.  “Ralph Waldo Emerson.”  Wikipedia The Free Encyclopedia.  June 20, 2007.  June 23,

2007.    < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Waldo_Emerson#_note-richardson >

This website describes the life of a great American author—Ralph Waldo Emerson.  Emerson was born in Boston, Massachusetts into a family with a history of preaching the good word.  All of Emerson’s father’s family was Unitarian ministers.  Emerson entered the ministry but broke with the church over some points of doctrine.  A graduate from Harvard College, Emerson worked as a teacher before a career as a public speaker.  Emerson’s entered the spotlight of the public eye when he disavowed the divinity of Jesus at the Harvard divinity school graduation.  Emerson is considered the founder of the transcendentalist movement and contributed to it with his writings.  This article is helpful to a reader who is studying Emerson because it gives an outline of Emerson’s life.  The outline is helpful because it includes dates and a listing of Emerson’s major works.  Emerson is important to the genre because he is the founder of it.  The website is credible because it meshes with other sources in regards to its biographical information.