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Emerson among the Eccentrics: A Group Portrait
Explores the author's interaction and friendship with such contemporaries as Bronson Alcott, Henry Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, and Jones Very
624 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
December 15, 2013
This book can't help but deepen you. It's unfortunately named, however, as I don't think there was anything terribly eccentric about Emerson and his friends, which included Thoreau and Hawthorne. What made them eccentric perhaps was that they lived their lives the way they wanted to and again perhaps that would make anyone stand out as eccentric in any age.
This wonderfully written book is about the people, not their images. Although it is about the towering intellect, world traveler, icon that Emerson was, it is also about the Emerson who lost his young son to a mysterious illness, and whose house burned down and who worried about how to pay the bills. And likewise for his friends. These people fed on their ideas. They were inner directed, eschewing the pop wisdom of the day and trusting what was deep within their souls.
Baker writes: "His (Emerson's) theme, like Thoreau's, was the value of independence, of self-trust, and self-confidence, of steadfast refusal to 'defer' to the popular cry."
Emerson believed each and every one of us are inherently great. He believed that we need no teacher, "that the best of wisdom cannot be communicated; must be acquired by every soul for itself."
Emerson had many offers to go to New York City, where ostensibly all the action was, and cash in, but he rebuffed such offers and humbly claimed himself satisfied to be a "country poet."
He and his friends lived the way they wanted to. And they changed the world because of that.
The book is long and being a fan of Emerson beforehand it was all very interesting to me. However, there were quite a few times I'd wished the book had been more about Emerson than his friends. There are precious nuggets scattered throughout, though. Consider this one:
"Work in every hour, paid or unpaid see only that thou work; and thou canst not escape the reward."
Want some depth? Want to see what the real people were like behind the images (Thoreau was quite the mama's boy long into adulthood) give this one a go.
June 4, 2008
I enjoyed reading this much more than I enjoy reading Emerson himself, although that's not saying much. What I particularly liked about this text was the contextualization of Emerson with his (transcendentalist) contemporaries.
July 30, 2008
This is an entertaining and well-researched book about the "crowd" around Emerson at the height of his popularity and prowess. For those who might like a break from more scholarly works on Emerson and the Transcendentalists.
August 12, 2025
This book is a history of the circle of friends and relatives who lived near or knew Ralph Waldo Emerson. They were extraordinary people, great thinkers and writers, Thoreau, Alcott, Hawthorne, Fuller, Parker, and many more. They lived in a tumultuous time of civil strife (slavery, anti-slavery, war). They resoonded to the events of the times with the necessary eccentricities of genius.
February 19, 2024
Emerson and his satellites
When I decided to read this book I violated my own rule to attempt to read most of an author’s works before embarking on a biography of the author. However, the subject matter of this book encompassed a great intersection of cultural pioneers, all living at one time or other within a small territorial radius. Emerson was at the center of this cluster, which also included Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott (whose daughter Louisa May’s eccentric upbringing formed the mulch for her novel ‘Little Women’) and others whose works did not survive their century as well—Margaret Fuller, Ellery Channing. This fertile cultural climate, even affecting peripheral literary figures such as Herman Melville, Walt Whitman and Henry James, seemed to have played a very significant role in the developing thought of the United States of the nineteenth century.
I needn’t have worried about not having read much of Emerson’s works. Although compelling enough as an account of the relationships of these diverse and fascinating individuals, it is sorely lacking in the area of focus on Emerson’s writing. My impression was that Emerson has always been regarded more highly in American literature for his significance as an essayist than as a poet. Where in this book are those memorable phrases the ‘mute gospel’, ‘the infinite lies stretched in smiling repose,’ ‘a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds’? There is hardly a mention of essays such as “Self-Reliance” or “The Over-soul”. Yet Baker spends three pages quoting from later poems of Emerson’s and even includes the quotes from Wordsworth that inspired them. Also lacking in this book is the significance of Emerson’s sermon repudiating the last supper as a sacrament. While not as overtly radical as his friend Thoreau and certainly not as militant as John Brown, Emerson’s actions were revolutionary, especially in light of the New England standards of propriety and morality in his day. Much of his significance as a transcendentalist, the features that make him and his cohorts ‘eccentrics’ in the mid-nineteenth century, is glossed over or omitted altogether. Meanwhile, Baker spends half a page describing the arrangements for Emerson’s daughter’s wedding.
In its favor, the book presents compelling portraits of some fascinating characters. Margaret Fuller was an early feminist who attempted to support herself by her writing. Her intensely passionate nature repelled the staid Emerson, who hardly knew how to react to her aggression. Only after she left America and was enabled to loosen up and live with an Italian and bear his child before they actually married. Tragically, on the return voyage to America all three perished when their ship struck a sandbar within 50 yards of shore off Fire Island, New York. Then there is the idealistic Bronson Alcott, whose lack of ability to provide sufficiently for his family necessitates the older daughters working while still adolescents. Even less practical is Ellery Channing, who ignores his wife and children to pursue impulsive desires to travel, often with funds provided from generous donors such as Emerson. Jones Very is a fundamentalist poet who fancies himself as the Second Coming of Christ and is hospitalized for his claims. Hawthorne seems to be a morose loner who is pleasant enough as a companion to Emerson although his writing never impresses the older mentor. Finally, there is Thoreau, who stays true to his principles to the end like a dutiful monk at the shrine of simplicity.
Emerson himself seems amiable enough as depicted by Baker although he never sufficiently conveys the quality in Emerson that drew so many people to him. To those who did not read his profound essays he would seem, at least based on his portrayal by Baker, to be a pleasant, mild-mannered former preacher that periodically utters pithy, quote-worthy words of wisdom.
There are many interesting anecdotes on some fascinating figures in this book. We see their weaknesses and idiosyncrasies, the divergence of their emotional lives from their idealistic writings and the constrictions of social conventions upon all of them. There are also interminable catalogs of facts and trivia (such as the aforementioned wedding preparations), often of people we never really get to know. While I admire Baker’s exhaustive research and commitment to following the threads of multiple lives (it was virtually finished at the time of his death and published posthumously), the book whetted my appetite for a book that really conveyed the person, mind and writing of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the flavor of life for him and his friends at that place and time.
When I decided to read this book I violated my own rule to attempt to read most of an author’s works before embarking on a biography of the author. However, the subject matter of this book encompassed a great intersection of cultural pioneers, all living at one time or other within a small territorial radius. Emerson was at the center of this cluster, which also included Henry David Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Bronson Alcott (whose daughter Louisa May’s eccentric upbringing formed the mulch for her novel ‘Little Women’) and others whose works did not survive their century as well—Margaret Fuller, Ellery Channing. This fertile cultural climate, even affecting peripheral literary figures such as Herman Melville, Walt Whitman and Henry James, seemed to have played a very significant role in the developing thought of the United States of the nineteenth century.
I needn’t have worried about not having read much of Emerson’s works. Although compelling enough as an account of the relationships of these diverse and fascinating individuals, it is sorely lacking in the area of focus on Emerson’s writing. My impression was that Emerson has always been regarded more highly in American literature for his significance as an essayist than as a poet. Where in this book are those memorable phrases the ‘mute gospel’, ‘the infinite lies stretched in smiling repose,’ ‘a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds’? There is hardly a mention of essays such as “Self-Reliance” or “The Over-soul”. Yet Baker spends three pages quoting from later poems of Emerson’s and even includes the quotes from Wordsworth that inspired them. Also lacking in this book is the significance of Emerson’s sermon repudiating the last supper as a sacrament. While not as overtly radical as his friend Thoreau and certainly not as militant as John Brown, Emerson’s actions were revolutionary, especially in light of the New England standards of propriety and morality in his day. Much of his significance as a transcendentalist, the features that make him and his cohorts ‘eccentrics’ in the mid-nineteenth century, is glossed over or omitted altogether. Meanwhile, Baker spends half a page describing the arrangements for Emerson’s daughter’s wedding.
In its favor, the book presents compelling portraits of some fascinating characters. Margaret Fuller was an early feminist who attempted to support herself by her writing. Her intensely passionate nature repelled the staid Emerson, who hardly knew how to react to her aggression. Only after she left America and was enabled to loosen up and live with an Italian and bear his child before they actually married. Tragically, on the return voyage to America all three perished when their ship struck a sandbar within 50 yards of shore off Fire Island, New York. Then there is the idealistic Bronson Alcott, whose lack of ability to provide sufficiently for his family necessitates the older daughters working while still adolescents. Even less practical is Ellery Channing, who ignores his wife and children to pursue impulsive desires to travel, often with funds provided from generous donors such as Emerson. Jones Very is a fundamentalist poet who fancies himself as the Second Coming of Christ and is hospitalized for his claims. Hawthorne seems to be a morose loner who is pleasant enough as a companion to Emerson although his writing never impresses the older mentor. Finally, there is Thoreau, who stays true to his principles to the end like a dutiful monk at the shrine of simplicity.
Emerson himself seems amiable enough as depicted by Baker although he never sufficiently conveys the quality in Emerson that drew so many people to him. To those who did not read his profound essays he would seem, at least based on his portrayal by Baker, to be a pleasant, mild-mannered former preacher that periodically utters pithy, quote-worthy words of wisdom.
There are many interesting anecdotes on some fascinating figures in this book. We see their weaknesses and idiosyncrasies, the divergence of their emotional lives from their idealistic writings and the constrictions of social conventions upon all of them. There are also interminable catalogs of facts and trivia (such as the aforementioned wedding preparations), often of people we never really get to know. While I admire Baker’s exhaustive research and commitment to following the threads of multiple lives (it was virtually finished at the time of his death and published posthumously), the book whetted my appetite for a book that really conveyed the person, mind and writing of Ralph Waldo Emerson and the flavor of life for him and his friends at that place and time.
November 3, 2023
This is a deep and delightful read, a real journey through Concord, Massachusetts, and the many brilliant and creative people who passed through there in the Nineteenth Century with Ralph Waldo Emerson as the magnet who drew them there.
Definitely not an introductory level read about Emerson and his contemporaries, this well-researched book is rich with passages from numerous people’s correspondence, journals, memoirs, and biographies. Carlos Baker has done a fine job in detailing Emerson’s life, philosophy, prose & poetry, and relationships with a variety of writers and philosophers.
No casual read, Emerson Among the Eccentrics is a journey well worth taking for any enthusiast of the Transcendentalists.
Definitely not an introductory level read about Emerson and his contemporaries, this well-researched book is rich with passages from numerous people’s correspondence, journals, memoirs, and biographies. Carlos Baker has done a fine job in detailing Emerson’s life, philosophy, prose & poetry, and relationships with a variety of writers and philosophers.
No casual read, Emerson Among the Eccentrics is a journey well worth taking for any enthusiast of the Transcendentalists.
May 17, 2017
This is a detailed, yet broad group biography of Emerson's literary circle. Illuminating it its interconnections, with personal details often left out of biographies of the singular individuals, this ambitious collective study, nonetheless, gives the reader a good understanding of Emerson's life and the personalities that he shared influential relationships with.
February 19, 2021
Wonderful in many ways.
dnf-might-revisit
November 29, 2020This is a dnf for me, at least for now. I read the book "The Private Lives of the Impressionists" and found it fascinating, despite knowing very little of the impressionists ahead of time. It was enthralling to read how these famous characters were students together and all knew each other before becoming famous. So I thought that reading about Emerson, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Alcott, etc. and how their lives were intertwined, would be just as fascinating, if not more so. And it probably is, but my impression is that you need to know a bit more about these authors before embarking on this book. It goes into minute detail in terms of many aspects of their lives, but completely glosses over other parts (Emerson's first wife, etc.), which would have helped me in terms of knowing generalities of their lives.
If and when I'm more inspired to read up on these writers and do my own independent research along with the book, then I may tackle it again, since I'm sure it is an excellent book.
If and when I'm more inspired to read up on these writers and do my own independent research along with the book, then I may tackle it again, since I'm sure it is an excellent book.
September 13, 2024
Ralph Waldo Emerson was one of the most influential writers and thinkers of the 19th century--and difficult to read. This biography traces his life through the many people he met--authors, politicians, thinkers, family--and shows what an incredibly kind person he was. I felt as if I were living in Concord, meeting these people, some, indeed eccentric, but all interesting. One of the most enjoyable reading experiences.
August 2, 2022
An extraordinary treatment of Emerson which explores his central role as catalyst for a group including Thoreau, Bronson Alcott, Hawthorne, and Margaret Fuller. Why were they a group? In large part because Emerson brought them together. These thinkers enriched his life and work, but what comes though here is his generosity. He leveraged his fame and resources to help others. This book is in many ways a case study in mentorship.
July 19, 2015
Would have appreciated a cast of characters list! So many people.
But, Margaret Fuller! What a woman.
But, Margaret Fuller! What a woman.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews