Ralph Waldo Emerson
Subtitle: the making of a democratic intellectual
By: Peter S. Field.
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Published: 2002
Place of publication: Lanham, MD
Language: eng
Number of pages: 255
Subjects: Emerson, Ralph Waldo, 1803-1882 -- Political and social views.; Democracy -- United States -- History -- 19th century.; Democracy in literature.; United States -- Intellectual life -- 19th century.
Description: "In this original and highly readable book, Peter Field explains how Ralph Waldo Emerson became the first democratic intellectual in American history. By focusing on his public career, Field contends that Emerson was a democrat in two senses: he single-handedly sought to create a vocation equal to his conviction that America represented the democratic promise of the Western world; and as importantly, he acted the part of the democrat by attempting to bring culture to all Americans.

Utterly disaffected with the self-satisfied Boston Brahmin establishment into which he had been born, he set forth through the nation in order to assume the role of conscience, critic, and gentle exhorter to the people. More poet than philosopher, Emerson demands to be understood as a public intellectual. Peter Field deftly portrays Emerson as he attempted to create himself - as a unique ironic prophet to the American people."--BOOK JACKET.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 231-241) and index.
Table of contents: title: Machine generated contents note: Introduction; title: 1 From Emerson to Emerson 11; title: 2 Born to Be Educated 37; title: 3 The Problem of Vocation 59; title: 4 Unitarianism and Its Discontents 97; title: 5 The Transformation of Genius into Practical Power 131; title: 6 Abolitionism and the Strange Career of Emerson and Race 167; title: 7 Assessing Emerson as Democratic Intellectual 209.