Essays

In 1834 Ralph Waldo Emerson formerly a Unitarian minister began a new career as a public lecturer. Many of those lectures formed the source material for his essays. Nature (1836) his first published work contained the essence of his transcendental philosophy which involved viewing the world of natural phenomena as a symbol of the inner life and emphasizing individual freedom and self-reliance. This collection contains 11 of his most celebrated and memorable essays from this period: Self-Reliance Nature Circles Friendship Heroism Prudence Compensation Gifts Manners Shakespeare; Or the Poet and The American Scholar.