Ralph Waldo Emerson

Discover the life and ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson, the American essayist, lecturer, philosopher, and poet who championed individualism and presciently criticized societal pressures. In this biography, you'll follow Emerson's journey as he moved away from the beliefs of his contemporaries and formulated the philosophy of transcendentalism, which he disseminated through numerous published essays and public lectures across the United States. Through his famous essays, including 'Self-Reliance' and 'The Over-Soul', Emerson developed ideas such as individuality, freedom, and the relationship between the soul and the surrounding world. He was a linchpin of the American romantic movement and a mentor and friend to fellow transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau.