Emerson's Emergence

Self and Society in the Transformation of New England, 1800-1845

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States, 19th Century
Cover of the book Emerson's Emergence by Mary Kupiec Cayton, The University of North Carolina Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Mary Kupiec Cayton ISBN: 9781469621425
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press Publication: November 1, 2017
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press Language: English
Author: Mary Kupiec Cayton
ISBN: 9781469621425
Publisher: The University of North Carolina Press
Publication: November 1, 2017
Imprint: The University of North Carolina Press
Language: English

As the culture of commercial capitalism came to dominate nineteenth-century New England, it changed people's ideas about how the world functioned, the nature of their work, their relationships to one another, and even the way they conceived of themselves as separate individuals. Drawing on the work of the last twenty years in New England social history, Mary Cayton argues that Ralph Waldo Emerson's work and career, when seen in the context of the momentous changes in the culture and economics of the region, reveal many of the tensions and contradictions inherent in the new capitalist social order. In exploring the genesis of liberal humanism as a calling in the United States, this case study implicitly poses questions about its assumptions, its aspirations, and its failings.

Cayton traces the ways in which the social circumstances of Emerson's Boston gave rise to his philosophy of natural organicism, his search for an appropriate definition of the intellectual's role within society, and his exhortations to individuals to distrust the norms and practices of the mass culture that was emerging. She addresses the historical context of Emerson's emergence as a writer and orator and undertakes to describe the Federalism and Unitarianism in which Emerson grew up, explaining why he eventually rejected them in favor of romantic transcendentalism.

Cayton demonstrates how Emerson's thought was affected by the social pressures and ideological constructs that launched the new cultural discourse of individualism. A work of intellectual history and American studies, this book explores through Emerson's example the ways in which intellectuals both make their cultures and are made by them.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

As the culture of commercial capitalism came to dominate nineteenth-century New England, it changed people's ideas about how the world functioned, the nature of their work, their relationships to one another, and even the way they conceived of themselves as separate individuals. Drawing on the work of the last twenty years in New England social history, Mary Cayton argues that Ralph Waldo Emerson's work and career, when seen in the context of the momentous changes in the culture and economics of the region, reveal many of the tensions and contradictions inherent in the new capitalist social order. In exploring the genesis of liberal humanism as a calling in the United States, this case study implicitly poses questions about its assumptions, its aspirations, and its failings.

Cayton traces the ways in which the social circumstances of Emerson's Boston gave rise to his philosophy of natural organicism, his search for an appropriate definition of the intellectual's role within society, and his exhortations to individuals to distrust the norms and practices of the mass culture that was emerging. She addresses the historical context of Emerson's emergence as a writer and orator and undertakes to describe the Federalism and Unitarianism in which Emerson grew up, explaining why he eventually rejected them in favor of romantic transcendentalism.

Cayton demonstrates how Emerson's thought was affected by the social pressures and ideological constructs that launched the new cultural discourse of individualism. A work of intellectual history and American studies, this book explores through Emerson's example the ways in which intellectuals both make their cultures and are made by them.

More books from The University of North Carolina Press

Cover of the book The Greening of Protestant Thought by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book A License to Steal by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book The Workboats of Core Sound by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book The Birth of a New Europe by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book On Freedom and the Will to Adorn by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book The Woodwright's Shop by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book The Stigma of Surrender by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book The Strange Career of Porgy and Bess by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book Fighting Their Own Battles by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book Sweet Carolina by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book Henry James and Pragmatistic Thought by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book The Education of the Heart by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book Modern Bodies by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book George Mason, Forgotten Founder by Mary Kupiec Cayton
Cover of the book The End of Consensus by Mary Kupiec Cayton
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy