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. / by Elizabeth Gillespie. / Thesis (M.A.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2010. / Includes bibliography. / Electronic reproduction. Boca Raton, Fla., 2010. Mode of access: World Wide Web.
Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:fau.edu/oai:fau.digital.flvc.org:fau_3517 |
Contributors | Gillespie, Elizabeth., Dorothy F. Schmidt College of Arts and Letters, Department of English |
Publisher | Florida Atlantic University |
Source Sets | Florida Atlantic University |
Language | English |
Detected Language | English |
Type | Text, Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
Format | v, 83 p., electronic |
Rights | http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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