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

[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?