“Atom by Atom, All the World into a New Form”: Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Theory of Reform

• Authors: Daphne Orlandi

Abstracts

EN

The idea of dissent has often been discussed in association with the works of the Transcendentalists, who greatly influenced the literary and philosophical landscape of the United States in the 19th century. This article aims to shed light on an often-ignored side of Ralph Waldo Emerson who, often described as an aloof thinker, was an adamant dissenter and, more specifically, a conscientious reformer. By focusing on his theory of reform as expressed in a selection of essays devoted to this theme, this paper argues that Emerson’s concept of reform, though primarily directed towards the individual, was also intended to have repercussions in society at large. This dichotomy of individualism and communal effort is analyzed in texts which cover a twenty-year span in Emerson’s life, to demonstrate it is an opposition that must be reevaluated and possibly resolved.  

Keywords

EN

Transcendentalism; Reform; Ralph Waldo Emerson; Individualism; Dissent; American literature

• Publisher: University of Silesia Press
• Journal: Review of International American Studies
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 16
• Issue: 2
• Pages: 177-193

Dates

published

2023

Contributors

author

Daphne Orlandi

• Sapienza-Università di Roma
• Technische Universität Dortmund

• https://orcid.org/0000000319558752

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Identifiers

DOI

10.31261/rias.15027

Biblioteka Nauki

35198604