Representative Men: Nature, Addresses and LecturesRepresentative Men contains seven essays, the first of which discusses the role great men play in society. The remaining six essays extoll the virtues of six men whom Emerson deemed great: Plato, Emanuel Swedenborg, Michel de Montaigne, William Shakespeare, Napoleon, and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Nature contains the essence of Emerson's transcendental philosophy in which the world of phenomena is seen as symbolic of the inner life, and individual freedom and self-reliance are emphasized. Emerson's addresses apply his doctrine to scholars, clergymen, and others. |
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action animal appears astronomy battle of Austerlitz beauty become behold body born cause church comes conservatism culture dæmons divine doctrine earth Emanuel Swedenborg exist experience fact faculties faith feel genius give Goethe hands heart heaven hero honor hope hour human ideas intel intellect labor land light live look Lord Elgin mankind matter means ment mind Montaigne Napoleon nature ness never numbers objects organ perception persons Phædo philosopher plant Plato Plotinus Plutarch poet poetry reason reformer relation religion rich scholar seems sense Seven Wise Masters Shakspeare society Socrates soul speak spirit stand stars Swedenborg talent things thou thought tion trade Transcendentalist treach true truth ture universal Uranus virtue Vishnu whilst whole wisdom wise wish words write