Individualism and its discontents
Subtitle: appropriations of Emerson, 1880-1950
By: Charles E. Mitchell.
Publisher: University of Massachusetts Press
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Amherst
Language: eng
Number of pages: 220
Subjects: Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882 -- Political and social views; Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882 -- Influence; American literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism; American literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism; Individualism -- United States -- History; Individualism in literature; United States -- Civilization -- 1865-1918; United States -- Civilization -- 1918-1945
Description: This book explores the intertwined history of Emerson and individualism. Charles E. Mitchell begins by examining those who regarded Emersonian individualism with ambivalence or hostility, focusing on the comments of such diverse figures as Henry James, Sr., Oliver Wendell Holmes, Van Wyck Brooks, and H. L. Mencken. He then offers an alternative view as reflected in the work of William James, John Dewey, W. E. B. Du Bois, and William Carlos Williams.

Each of these figures embraced Emerson's claim for the sanctity of the individual and wove it into a social vision that sought to reconcile the paradox at the heart of American life: a simultaneous devotion to the community and the individual, tradition and innovation, order and freedom.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 195-217) and index.