Harvard Classics Volume 5: Essays and English Traits

by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Charles William Eliot (Editor), Roy Pitchford (Editor)

Compiled and Edited by Charles W. Eliot LL D in 1909, the Harvard Classics is a 51-volume Anthology of classic literature from throughout the history of western civilization. The set is sometimes called "Eliot's Five-Foot Shelf."

Volume 5 contains a 18 essays from Ralph Waldo Emerson and the journal later published as English Traits.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Classics, Poetry, Philosophy, Literature, Biography

478 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1909

About the author

Ralph Waldo Emerson was born in Boston in 1803. Educated at Harvard and the Cambridge Divinity School, he became a Unitarian minister in 1826 at the Second Church Unitarian. The congregation, with Christian overtones, issued communion, something Emerson refused to do. "Really, it is beyond my comprehension," Emerson once said, when asked by a seminary professor whether he believed in God. (Quoted in 2,000 Years of Freethought edited by Jim Haught.) By 1832, after the untimely death of his first wife, Emerson cut loose from Unitarianism. During a year-long trip to Europe, Emerson became acquainted with such intelligentsia as British writer Thomas Carlyle, and poets Wordsworth and Coleridge. He returned to the United States in 1833, to a life as poet, writer and lecturer. Emerson inspired Transcendentalism, although never adopting the label himself. He rejected traditional ideas of deity in favor of an "Over-Soul" or "Form of Good," ideas which were considered highly heretical. His books include Nature (1836), The American Scholar (1837), Divinity School Address (1838), Essays, 2 vol. (1841, 1844), Nature, Addresses and Lectures (1849), and three volumes of poetry. Margaret Fuller became one of his "disciples," as did Henry David Thoreau.

The best of Emerson's rather wordy writing survives as epigrams, such as the famous: "A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines." Other one- (and two-) liners include: "As men's prayers are a disease of the will, so are their creeds a disease of the intellect" (Self-Reliance, 1841). "The most tedious of all discourses are on the subject of the Supreme Being" (Journal, 1836). "The word miracle, as pronounced by Christian churches, gives a false impression; it is a monster. It is not one with the blowing clover and the falling rain" (Address to Harvard Divinity College, July 15, 1838). He demolished the right wing hypocrites of his era in his essay "Worship": ". . . the louder he talked of his honor, the faster we counted our spoons" (Conduct of Life, 1860). "I hate this shallow Americanism which hopes to get rich by credit, to get knowledge by raps on midnight tables, to learn the economy of the mind by phrenology, or skill without study, or mastery without apprenticeship" (Self-Reliance). "The first and last lesson of religion is, 'The things that are seen are temporal; the things that are not seen are eternal.' It puts an affront upon nature" (English Traits , 1856). "The god of the cannibals will be a cannibal, of the crusaders a crusader, and of the merchants a merchant." (Civilization, 1862). He influenced generations of Americans, from his friend Henry David Thoreau to John Dewey, and in Europe, Friedrich Nietzsche, who takes up such Emersonian themes as power, fate, the uses of poetry and history, and the critique of Christianity. D. 1882.
Ralph Waldo Emerson was his son and Waldo Emerson Forbes, his grandson.

Reviews

[Michael Bagnoli · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Every man supposes himself not to be fully understood; and if there is any truth in him, if he rests at last on the divine soul, I see not how it can be otherwise. The last chamber, the last closet, he must feel was never opened; there is always a residue unknown, unanalyzable. That is, every man believes he has a greater possibility.”

I found this collection of Emerson’s essays in the basement of a half-price books store. I was loading up on things to read before my ACL surgery and thought Emerson would have some helpful words of inspiration for me, to ward off the inevitable depression due to my recovery and immobility. I was also especially excited to read this collection after having written on his most notable essay Self-Reliance for my final paper in Early American Literature. While some of the essays were a little slow (Gifts, New England Reformers, Circles) if not abstract, the majority of the essays were quite good. Throughout each of his essays, Emerson repeatedly affirmed that “nothing can bring you peace but yourself.” This brought me some peace.

Self-Reliance was probably my favorite essay, but The American Scholar was a close second. Emerson was a big fan of the liberal arts. His essay on Friendship was also very good. Hopefully Professor Chakkalakal heeds my advice and teaches a seminar on him senior year.

[Lancelot Schaubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

For the past few years, I’ve been systematically reading through the Harvard Classics in numerical order. Finished Emerson sometime in December and I can say I was pleasantly surprised. As is the case with many of the HVCs, this one was another anthology. Gratefully, it featured only one author so I didn’t have to pretend there’s some thematic unity in the whole kit.

So Emerson.

He is the quintessential American voice. I’m not saying I like that or hate that – I’m not making an evaluative statement whatsoever. I’m saying after you read Emerson, everything from Dale Carnegie to Ernest` Hemmingway makes sense. You suddenly find yourself understanding the roots of self-help culture, of the American idea of genius and individuality, of our obsession with nature and the variegated influences we pull from at any moment – our grab-bag of culture that created the beat poets and the idea of “cross-training.” Emerson is the quintessential American voice, love him or hate him, take him or leave him.

And honestly, I liked most of him. About 80% of his thoughts and paragraphs had me raving for days. The other 20% was bull on the level of many well-intentioned intellectuals who use clever words and convoluted observations to justify their flawed life choices. Was that firm enough? Because I meant to be firmer…

That said, I don’t feel like I was fully pulling from the classics I’ve read until I read Emerson. Specifically in his article on Shakespeare, he delves into how a genius finds himself standing in the river of man. I even wrote a song about this bit and shared the quote with other songwriters who considered doing the same. Honestly, this is going to sound arrogant or presumptuous or whatever, but I don’t care because it’s honest and there are people out there who are going to find themselves feeling the exact same way, so I’m about to say what I’m about to say for them, not those who would call me arrogant – I’ve found myself often looking for a mentor in nonprofit or writing or business work in my life, for family counsel or for friendship. In Emerson – and recently through some obscure Lewis – I’m realizing that I wasn’t truly looking for a niche mentor to help me with a niche market or sector in my life. Instead, I was looking for a master, a yogi, a rabbi whom I could follow for a decade and learn everything he knows – preferably one well-schooled in the dead languages and classics, a Christian, and a prolific writer. When in despair I’ve found myself both too obscure (or inept) to attract such a mentor and too often surrounded by specialists rather than medieval or romantic minds, I instead have taken solace in the classics. Emerson, in this process, has shown me how the greats have always stood in the river of men and found their uniqueness as the specific intersection of all of the classic ideas out there.

So this one taught me that I need to finish the set, come hell or high water.

And Robert Burn’s poetry in volume 6 is honestly a bit of both.

[Samuel Clasby · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essays were transformative and highly quotable! English Traits on the other hand was only mildly entertaining.

[Pastor Greg · Rating 2 out of 5]

One of my least favorite books that I've ever read. I think most people read and quote Emerson so they can sound intelligent. If you don't get Emerson then you're just not "deep".

This man was a lost soul. His view of the world was anti-Christian and anti-Biblical. His writings were meaningless tripe most of the time. I found myself speaking to Emerson aloud and saying, "What in the WORLD does that even mean?" I had flashbacks of interviews with Charles Manson as I tried to make sense of much of Emerson's "essays".

After Emerson blathers on, I find myself wanting to play that viral video clip featuring Adam Sandler as Billy Madison as he is told: "What you have just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point, in your rambling incoherent response were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this room is now dumber for having listened to it. .. God have mercy on your soul."

That's Emerson.

So, why 2 stars? One, because as unpleasant as it was, reading Emerson is important for the purpose of having having a point of reference as he is quoted from time to time. Two, because he occasionally says something worth reading.

[Don Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Easily one of the Top 10 books I have ever read.
I found contained within its pages profound statements that I could not find a single argument against.
I spent a month reading this book as I found myself, after marking it up and writing notes in the margins, putting the book down for days as I would read and reread certain passages multiple times and then pondered the impact those passages.
This book has had a serious impact on my life, clarifying concepts known by well educated people, but set to word with whole new visions of the human condition.
I certainly recommend this book to everyone.

[Rui · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's undeniable that Waldo Emerson had a profound influence on American idealism. However, I found his essays rather difficult to read. They're so densely packed with astute language and unusual phrasing that I often struggle to grasp his main point.

At the beginning of “First Visit to England,” Waldo writes: “I have, however, found writers superior to their books, and I cling to my first belief, that a strong head will dispose fast enough of these impediments, and give one the satisfaction of reality, the sense of having been met, and a larger horizon.”

I'm sure he would have been a fascinating person to talk to, but his writing simply doesn’t resonate with me the way a conversation with him likely would have.

[Jim · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first from RWE, and not my last. I was reminded of the report from de Tocqueville on America. Highly recommended!

[Roger Peters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Emerson writes good prose, but couldn't stand his ideas... I read a lot of first sentences of paragraphs...

[Rico · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's no question of Emerson's position in American history. But I will rest very content knowing that I have read these essays once (not likely to return except for a quotation) and an grateful to be done.

Emerson's transcendentalism seems to be a mask for rampant individualism with a touch of Rousseau. Effectively, I only like people who don't like people. That may not be the most generous of be, but it's my impression of a fundamental lesson in this volume.

[Ridgewalker · Rating 4 out of 5]

I got the Harvard Classics from my dads library when he passed earlier this year. The first book I read was Emerson. I liked this book, though not as much as I had hoped. Emerson is a deep thinker, well thought out, and well expressed for someone in the 19th century. For me the writing style took some immersion to get acclimated to though. At nearly 500 pages this happened soon enough. I like Emerson's view of the common man and his faith in the value of hard work. I liked his description of life in England in the mid 1800's. I got as much value from the discipline of reading him though as I did from reading him.

[Kimberly]

Essays and English Traits by RW Emerson.

[Peter J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a good, though at times rambling work. It started off very strongly.