Emerson

[primsong]

Been reading through a collection of poetry and essay snippets by Ralph Waldo Emerson. We have a 'secret sisters' thing at our church where you pick a name at the beginning of each year out of a basket, then leave goodies anonymously for them throughout the year. Last year I got random thrift store clearance bin stuff. This year I have a great one - I get chocolate, LOTR figures and books of poetry! Woohoo!

Hence the new (antiquated) anthology of Emerson. I never cared for him before, but now I see it's because I only read some of his poems. He is a bit stilted in his poetry, the imagery is okay but it doesn't flow together very well and his analogies often feel a bit forced. Now I see why - he utterly soars in his essays and journal entries! Taking the concepts he has there and trying to force them into a poetic pattern was for him like clipping his wings.

I'm heading to the library today to return my daughter's nearly-overdue Star Trek novels (she's getting into classic Trek this summer) and I have *got* to find a collection of his essays to read the complete work instead of these tantalizing sections that are sprinkled between the poems in this book. I don't necessarily agree with Emerson on some of his conclusions about man, the spirit realm and nature but wow could he write!

Comments

[siradaono.livejournal.com]

Prim, are you speaking of Bluebell as the Trekkie? I ask for a reason.

[primsong.livejournal.com]

LOL! Yes indeed - she was frustrated that so often she found references to the classic series and didn't understand them, so a Trekkie friend of mine brought over the tapes she had of nearly every episode and they had a week-long Trekfest, where I became very accustomed to having Captain Kirk's voice in my living room. :-) She is very happy with it now, can't decide if she likes McCoy or Chekhov better and greatly admires Uhura. And now she suddenly has an interest in my small collection of ST books, ripped though all of them and headed out to get more from the library. :-D

"Very funny Scotty, now beam down the clothes too..."

[siradaono.livejournal.com]

Please e-mail me your mail addy. I have some things that will make her Very Happy. You see I recently cleaned out some boxes and found some ST 25th Ann. stuff and a Captains LOGBOOK/Diary, unused....If you think she might like that sorta thang.
Lemme know.
;-{>

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

Sounds like your secret sister knows you well. :-D

So you have a Star Trek reader in the family! Many of those books are quite enjoyable reading -- I know from experience. I'm a DS9er myself; unfortunately most of those novels have to be bought as the library doesn't carry them all. :-(

[primsong.livejournal.com]

I have my complete James Blish series from my junior high years, which for reasons I cannot explain I marked in pink. All the funny parts - underlined or highlighted! :-P And this from someone who never writes in books, or even creases them if she can help it....

I have a handful of favorites too, like Uhura's Song and Black Fire (Spock as a pirate! love it) - but I never really crossed over into the spin-offs.

[lin4gondor.livejournal.com]

Ooooo, I have the James Blish series, and yes, I, too have the funny parts marked, LOL! (but not in pink). But they are in Pakistan, along with many other great Star Trek books, Classic and spin off alike. :-( I'll have to go get them someday, as I can't afford to replace them all! All my Star Trek and my Ellis Peters (the complete set of Brother Cadfael mysteries), and the complete set of History of Middle-Earth are sorely missed. And my favorite set of the LOTR trilogy from my high school days, where all the best Boromir parts are marked in green pen. ;-)

[primsong.livejournal.com]

LOL! Boromir marked in green! You found your passion young, dear Lin. And Cadfael - yeah! I love Cadfael! I've only read about 6 of them so far, in-between other stuff but have thoroughly enjoyed them all. :-D

[pippinswolf.livejournal.com]

He does have many useful things to say, does Mr. Emerson.
I'm glad your secret sister thing is fun- two years in a row we drew secret sisters names at our ladies' Christmas party- and each year, mine neither did anything for me, nor revealed herself. A real popular girl, I am, LOL!

[primsong.livejournal.com]

Oh dear - talk about Murphy's Law in overdrive for it to happen to you twice in a row! I do hope you don't give up on it entirely, I've really enjoyed it even on the years when I have a relative dud.

[madamenorthstar.livejournal.com]

Emerson as a poet did NOTHING for me, either, but apparently, I've been reading the wrong stuff from him. I like Plath and Sexton, myself ( surprise, surprise)and Audre Lord. I also like Ted Hughes, but I always feel like he's overcompensating for being such a butthole to Sylvia. Prim is such a smartie!

[primsong.livejournal.com]

Heh, I can see you reading those angsty lady poets easily. :-)

I'm not familiar with Ted Hughes, but I'll look him up a bit tonight to see what he has cooking. More angst? ;-) ((((NS))))

I had hoped at the library (it being summer and no one having to do book reports on famous essayists or anything) I would find a trove of Emerson, but instead someone went and checked them all out! *pout* I did finally ferret out The Portable Emerson, which is nice and fat and should give me plenty to muse over for a while, in spite of several of the essays being excerpts instead of complete.

[madamenorthstar.livejournal.com]

Moi, angsty? Surely you jest. Hughes has a volume called Birthday Letters, which is seen by many as a type of, or perhaps the only, explanation/apology of what happened to his marriage to Plath. he was apparently a serial infidelity sort - but also the poet laureate of Great Britain till he died fairly recently.

BTW, did I ever tell you that your take on My Last Duchess is absolutely amazing? It has to be one of the best adapted pieces I have ever read.

[primsong.livejournal.com]

Thank you - that one and The Lady of Shallot - turned - Eowyn are my own favorites, if only because they were so difficult to manage and still make sense. :-) Now you make me want to go work on more of them - isn't it amazing what just a little encourgement can do?