Emerson, Ralph Waldo (1803-1882), American essayist and
poet, a leader of the philosophical movement of
transcendentalism. Emerson was born in Boston,
Massachusetts. Seven of his ancestors were ministers,
and in 1829 Emerson became minister of the Second
Church (Unitarian) of Boston. In 1832 Emerson resigned
from his pastoral appointment because of personal
doubts about administering the sacrament of the Lord's
Supper. He toured England, where he met several British
writers, including Walter Savage Landor, Samuel Taylor
Coleridge, Thomas Carlyle, and William Wordsworth.
When he returned to the United States in 1833, Emerson
settled in Concord, Massachusetts, and lectured in
Boston. His most detailed statement of belief was
presented in his first published book, Nature (1836),
which was published anonymously. The volume has come to
be regarded as Emerson's most original and significant
work, offering the essence of his philosophy of
transcendentalism.
The first volume of Emerson's Essays (1841) includes
some of his most popular works, including "History,"
"Self-Reliance," "Compensation," "Spiritual Laws,"
"Love," "Friendship," "Prudence," "Heroism,"
"The Over-Soul," "Circles," "Intellect," and "Art."
The second series of Essays (1844) includes "The Poet,"
"Manners," and "Character." In 1846 his first volume of
Poems was published. Several of Emerson's lectures were
collected in the volume Representative Men (1850). The
Conduct of Life (1860) was the first of his books to
enjoy immediate popularity. Included in this volume of
essays are "Power," "Wealth," "Fate," and "Culture."
This was followed by a collection of poems entitled May
Day and Other Pieces (1867)
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