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symbiosis between the individual and society in Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The American Scholar," "History," and "Politics"

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Date Issued:
2010
Summary:
This thesis will reveal a political dimension to Emerson's work, situating itself in the current scholarly movement to analyze Emerson from a different angle. Scholars have long heralded Emerson as a staunch individualist or transcendentalist, yet there has been a recent shift in literary studies to consider him from a social or political perspective. Emerson's emphasis on the individual does not diminish in any of the three essays that I have selected; however, he strongly urges every individual to contribute towards the amelioration of society. He also believes that an individual person has enormous potential to cause both great improvement and great harm, which is why a wise man or scholar is a paramount component to any society. Moreover, this thesis addresses topics that are particularly useful today, as Emerson's words are just as relevant to the political situation in the world now as they were in the 19th century.
Title: The symbiosis between the individual and society in Ralph Waldo Emerson's "The American Scholar," "History," and "Politics".
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Name(s): Gillespie, Elizabeth.
Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters
Department of English
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Date Issued: 2010
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Physical Form: electronic
Extent: v, 83 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: This thesis will reveal a political dimension to Emerson's work, situating itself in the current scholarly movement to analyze Emerson from a different angle. Scholars have long heralded Emerson as a staunch individualist or transcendentalist, yet there has been a recent shift in literary studies to consider him from a social or political perspective. Emerson's emphasis on the individual does not diminish in any of the three essays that I have selected; however, he strongly urges every individual to contribute towards the amelioration of society. He also believes that an individual person has enormous potential to cause both great improvement and great harm, which is why a wise man or scholar is a paramount component to any society. Moreover, this thesis addresses topics that are particularly useful today, as Emerson's words are just as relevant to the political situation in the world now as they were in the 19th century.
Identifier: 653103663 (oclc), 2684307 (digitool), FADT2684307 (IID), fau:3517 (fedora)
Note(s): by Elizabeth Gillespie.
Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010.
Includes bibliography.
Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Subject(s): Emerson, Ralph Waldo--1803-1882--Essays--Selections
Emerson, Ralph Waldo--1803-1882--American scholar
Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882
Symbolism in literature
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/FAU/2684307
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU