A review by dev0n
Essays and Poems by Ralph Waldo Emerson (Barnes & Noble Classics Series) by Ralph Waldo Emerson

1.0

Emerson was a spineless opportunist who took ideas from everyone with whom he was ever in contact. His verse is uninspiring and his prose is convoluted...While I don't deny his ideas were crucial in the shaping of the American identity, I believe the Emersonian tradition of self-reliance contributed to the capitalist nightmare we have to deal with today. Also, his ideas about feminism are upsetting: he only seemed to be concerned with how women on equal footing with men would be beneficial for men, intellectually. All in all, I wasn't impressed.