Comments on SelfReliance.docx
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Comments on SelfReliance.docx
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CommentsonSelfReliance
窗体底端
FromLouisKronenberger,ed.,AtlanticBriefLives,ABiographicalCompaniontotheArts.Boston:
Little,Brown,1971.
[Thisessayconveystheconventionalviewthataquasi-mysticism,keptsomewhatgroundedbyhardheadedYankeecommonsense,istheheartofEmerson'sthought.]
EmersonwasthechieffigureintheAmericantranscendentalmovement,afactthatcomplicatesallaccountsofhiminliteraryorculturalhistory.Neversystematic,thetranscendentalistsowedmostoftheirideastoEuropeantheologiansandphilosophers,often,however,atsecondhand.AphaseoftherebellionintheWesternworldofthegenerationof1830againstconservatism,transcendentalismwasalsoalocalproductofeasternMassachusetts.ThereUnitarianismhadbegunasarevoltagainstorthodoxy,butby1820,influencedbyFederalistculture,old-lineUnitarianismhadgrownsoaridthatthirtyyearslaterEmersoncould,somewhatunjustly,writeinhisjournalthatfrom1790to1820therewasnotabook,aspeech,aconversation,orathoughtinthestate.In1832heresignedasministeroftheSecondChurchinBostonand,surroundedbydomesticsorrows,wenttoEuropetothinkthingsout.AfterhisreturnhepublishedNature(1836),thebestorganizedofhisbooksuntilEnglishTraits(1856),whichexpressesanothersideofEmerson.NatureisoneofthefewbooksbyEmersonwhichdidnotbeginasasermonoralecture.FromNature,TheDivinitySchoolAddress(1838),andTheOver-SoulinEssays(1841)itispossibletoputEmersoniandoctrineintocoherentorder.
EmersonrepudiatesthesensationalisticpsychologyofLocke,thephilosophyoftheScotchcommonsenseschool,andtraditionalChristianorthodoxy.Hegrantsthatwegetalonginpracticallifebytheuseofgoodsenseandempiricaldeductions.Butmanismorethanabiologicalbeing,heisaspiritualentityhavingaperpetualpossibility,experiencedorlatent,ofdirectcontactwithdeity.Throughcommonsensewejudgeourbusinessaffairsordiscoverthelawofuniversalgravitationoperatinginoronmatter,butmanismorethanthesumofhismundaneexperiences,andthelawofuniversalgravitations,likeotherlawsinscienceorexperience,istheechoofsomemightierprinciplestill.Thewaybywhichsupernaturalinfluencepoursinuponthesoulisintuition,butEmersonpreferstocallitthereasonasagainsttheunderstanding(orcommonsense).Allprinciplesdiscoverableinordinarylifearebuttheshadowsofspiritualprinciplesbeyondspaceandtime,thatis,ineternity.Natureseenfromthepointofviewofcommonsenseiscommodity;fromthepointofviewofreasonitisanalphabetorallegoryofdivinity.Sincethesoulinanyman(thereforeinallmen)isapartofdeity,Godisimmediatelypresentinman,andinsomesense(thisshockedconservatives)isman.Thismysticalunion
EmersondefinesastheOver-Soul,or:
"...thatUnity...withinwhicheveryman'sparticularbeingiscontainedandmadeonewithallother;thatcommonheartofwhichallsincereconversationistheworship,towhichallrightactionissubmission;thatoverpoweringrealitywhichconfutesourtricksandtalents,andconstrainseveryone...tospeakfromhischaracter...andwhichevermoretendstopassintoourmouthandhandandbecomewisdomandvirtueandpowerandbeauty."
Suchisthetranscendentalaffirmationofindividualism.Asalllinesmeetatinfinity,soallindividualaffirmationsfuseinGod.
Emerson,however,wasalsoaYankee,amasterofpithyspeech,shrewd,sagacious,ironical,capableofmakingalittlemoneygoalongway,seldomtakeninbypretense,neverpersuadedthatslaverywasagoodinvestmentorBrookFarmapracticalschemeforagriculture.TheYankeeinhimconditionshisstyle,whichisaphoristic,aswhenhewritesthataweedisaplantwhosevirtueshavenotbeendiscovered,notesthatifwewalkinthewoodswemustfeedmosquitoes,andsardonicallyobservesthateveryherobecomesaboreatlast.IftheOver-Soulexpressesindividualismraisedtothehighestspiritualpower,YankeeconfidenceinselfisevidentinapassagelikethisfromSelf-Reliance:
"AsturdyladfromNewHampshireorVermont,whointurntriesalltheprofessions,whoteamsit,farmsit,peddles,keepsaschool,preaches,editsanewspaper,goestoCongress,buysatownship,andsoforth,insuccessiveyears,andalwayslikeacatfallsonhisfeet,isworthahundredofthesecitydolls."
Thisissaltyenough.EmersontheYankeegavegoodadvicetoYoungAmerica,passedsagaciousjudgmentonNapoleon,toldofftheStateStreetmerchants,andinEnglishTraitswroteoneofthemostpenetratinganalysesofanothernationbyanativewriterinthewholenineteenthcentury.
EmersonisthemasterofSentences,aqualitythatisthegreatvirtueandthechiefdefectofhisstyle.Onlyafewofhispoems—forexample;Daysfuseintoflawlessbeauty;intoomanyofthemsentencesorcoupletstendtobreakawayintoaseriesofseparatedstatements.Thecompositionofhisessayswasagglutinativeratherthanorganic.Asstrikingthoughtsoccurredtohim,herecordedtheseinhisjournal;andwhenhehadanewlecturetowrite,heculledappropriatestatementsfromthesenotebooksandarrangedthem,withnewones,intheloosestpossiblepattern.AparagraphbyMacaulayandonebyEmersonareatoppositepolesoftherhetoricalspectrum,theonefullyorganizedwithitstopicsentence,itsdevelopingstatements;anditsconcludingasseveration,theotherlessapieceofarchitecturethanapileofblocks.Eventhoughtheblocksareverygoodblocks,thereadercomesbyandbytofeelthattheverbalmotioniscircular,notforward.Butitiseasytoexaggerate.Emerson,whenhewantsto,canbethoroughlypliantandcohesive.ThusaminoressaylikeCultureinTheConductofLife(1860)isstructuredwithskill;andnobodyhaseverfoundfaultwiththemovementofTheAmericanScholar(1837),themostfamousdemandforintellectualindependenceinourhistory.Andineverythingthathewrotetheaccuracyandpungencyofhisdictionarebeyondpraise.
Whenhedied,EmersonwasthoughtofastherepresentativeAmericanwriterparexcellence,andhispointofviewwasstillsopotentthatWilliamJameswashonoredtobeaskedtospeakatacentenarycelebration.Emersonthenincarnatedthemoraloptimism,theprogress,andtheenergyoftheAmericanspirit.Inthetwentiethcenturyhehasbeenincreasinglychargedwithignoringorminimizingtheforceofevilintheuniverse;andsincetwentieth-centurymysticisminAmerica,sofarasitexists,ismorelikelytofindaFreudianorJungianbasethanoneinphilosophicidealism,Emerson'sappealhasweakened.YetwithgreaterlinguisticeconomythanWhitman,hisdisciple,EmersoncreatedforAmericanindividualismametaphysicalmatrixmoreinterestingthananythingintheso-calledProtestantethic.HeremainsoneofthegreatshiningfiguresinthehistoryofmoralidealismintheUnitedStates.
TheAmericanScholar
AnOrationdeliveredbeforethePhiBetaKappaSociety,atCambridge,August31,1837
Mr.PresidentandGentlemen,
Igreetyouonthere-commencementofourliteraryyear.Ouranniversaryisoneofhope,and,perhaps,notenoughoflabor.Wedonotmeetforgamesofstrengthorskill,fortherecitationofhistories,tragedies,andodes,liketheancientGreeks;forparliamentsofloveandpoesy,liketheTroubadours;norfortheadvancementofscience,likeourcontemporariesintheBritishandEuropeancapitals.Thusfar,ourholidayhasbeensimplyafriendlysignofthesurvivaloftheloveoflettersamongstapeopletoobusytogivetolettersanymore.Assuch,itispreciousasthesignofanindestructibleinstinct.Perhapsthetimeisalreadycome,whenitoughttobe,andwillbe,somethingelse;whenthesluggardintellectofthiscontinentwilllookfromunderitsironlids,andfillthepostponedexpectationoftheworldwithsomethingbetterthantheexertionsofmechanicalskill.Ourdayofdependence,ourlongapprenticeshiptothelearningofotherlands,drawstoaclose.Themillions,thataroundusarerushingintolife,cannotalwaysbefedonthesereremainsofforeignharvests.Events,actionsarise,thatmustbesung,thatwillsingthemselves.Whocandoubt,thatpoetrywillreviveandleadinanewage,asthestarintheconstellationHarp,whichnowflamesinourzenith,astronomersannounce,shallonedaybethepole-starforathousandyears?
Inthishope,Iacceptthetopicwhichnotonlyusage,butthenatureofourassociation,seemtoprescribetothisday,—TheAmericanScholar.Yearbyyear,wecomeuphithertoreadonemorechapterofhisbiography.Letusinquirewhatlightnewdaysandeventshavethrownonhischaracter,andhishopes.
Itisoneofthosefables,which,outofanunknownantiquity,conveyanunlooked—forwisdom,thatthegods,inthebeginning,dividedManintomen,thathemightbemorehelpfultohimself;justasthehandwasdividedintofingers,thebettertoansweritsend.
Theoldfablecoversadoctrineevernewandsublime;thatthereisOneMan,—presenttoallparticularmenonlypartially,orthroughonefaculty;andthatyoumusttakethewholesocietytofindthewholeman.Manisnotafarmer,oraprofessor,oranengineer,butheisall.Manispriest,andscholar,andstatesman,andproducer,andsoldier.Inthedividedorsocialstate,thesefunctionsareparcelledouttoindividuals,eachofwhomaimstodohisstintofthejointwork,whilsteachotherperformshis.Thefableimplies,thattheindividual,topossesshimself,mustsometimesreturnfromhisownlabortoembracealltheotherlaborers.Butunfortunately,thisoriginal
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