爱默生简介

RalphWaldoEmersonTheGreatMan“TheAmericanconfucius”RalphWaldoEmerson(May25,1803–April27,1882)wasanAmericanessayist,philosopherandpoet,bestrememberedforleadingtheTranscendentalistmovement(超验主义)oftheearly19thcentury.HisteachingsdirectlyinfluencedthegrowingNewThoughtmovementofthemid1800s,whilehewasseenasachampionofindividualismandprescient(预知的）criticofthecountervailing（对抗性的）pressuresofsocietyWhatisTranscendentalism?“WhatispopularlycalledTranscendentalismamongusisidealism”.-----Emerson•Transcendentalismistheviewthatthebasictruthsoftheuniverseliebeyondtheknowledgeoneobtainsfromhissenses;•Basictruthscanbereachedonlythroughinstinctandintuitionandareamatterofprivateexperience;•Toarriveatthetruth,manmustgobeyondortranscendwhathiseyesandearstellhimorwhathecanlearnfrombooks.Hemustlistentohisinnersoul.Hemusttrustinthedivinitythatisinallmen.AmericanTranscendentalism(NewEnglandTranscendentalism)TheAmericanTranscendentalismischaracterizedby:•emphasisonintuition,thespiritortheOversoul;•thestressontheimportanceofindividualism;•praiseofnatureasasymboloftheSpiritorGod;•beliefinself-trustandself-reliance;•dignityofmanuallabor.HisLifeThewriter‘sfather,WilliamEmerson,adescendantofNewEnglandclergymen(牧师）,wasministeroftheFirstUnitarianChurchinBoston.Emerson’searlyyearswerefilledwithbooksandadailyroutineofstudiousandfrugal(好学和节约的)homelife.Afterhisfather‘sdeathin1811,hiseccentric(古怪的）butbrilliantaunt,MaryMoodyEmerson,becamehisconfidante（红颜知己）andstimulatedhisindependentthinking.AtHarvard(1817-21)hebeganrecordinghisthoughtsinthefamousJournal.Poorhealthhindered（阻碍）hisstudiesattheHarvarddivinity（神学）schoolin1825,andin1826,afterbeinglicensedtopreach（说教）,hewasforcedtogosouthbecauseofincipienttuberculosis（初期肺结核）In1829hebecamepastor（牧师）oftheOldNorthChurchinBoston(SecondUnitarian).InthesameyearhemarriedEllenTucker,whosedeathfromtuberculosisin1831causedhimgreatsorrow。Emerson‘spersonalreligiousscruples（顾虑）and,inparticular,hisconviction（定罪）thattheLord’sSupper（最后的晚餐）wasnotintendedbyJesustobeapermanentsacrament（圣餐)ledhimintoconflictwithhiscongregation(圣会）.In1832heretiredfromhisonlypastorate（牧师团）.OnatriptoEuropeatthistimehemetCarlyle卡莱尔(whobecameaclosefriend),Coleridge(柯勒律治）,andWordsworth（华兹华斯）.ThroughthesenotableEnglishwriters,Emerson‘sinterestintranscendental（卓越的）thoughtbegantoblossom.Otherstronginfluencesonhisphilosophy,besideshisownUnitarianbackground,werePlatoandtheNeoplatonists,thesacredbooksoftheEast,themysticalwritingsofSwedenborg,andthephilosophyofKant.Hereturnedhomein1834,settledinConcord,Mass.andmarried(1835)hissecondwife,LydiaJackson.HisworkDuringtheearly1830sEmersonbegananactivecareeraswriterandlecturer.In1836hepublishedanonymously(化名地）hisessayNature,basedonhisearlylectures.Itisinthatpiecethathefirstsetforththemainprinciplesoftranscendentalism,expressingafirmbeliefinthemysticalunityofnature.Heattractedwideattentionwith“TheAmericanScholar,”hisPhiBetaKappaoration（婓陶婓的演说）atHarvardin1837,inwhichhecalledforindependencefromEuropeanculturalleadership.InhislectureattheHarvarddivinityschoolin1838,hisadmonition(警告）thatonecouldfindredemption（赎回）onlyinone‘sownsoulwastakentomeanthatherepudiatedChristianity（批判基督教义）.Thiscausedsuchindignation（愤怒）thathewasnotinvitedtoHarvardagainuntil1866,whenthecollegegrantedhimanLL.D.degree.In1840EmersonjoinedwithothersinpublishingTheDial（《日晷》）,amagazineintendedtopromulgate（发表）transcendentalthought.OneoftheyoungercontributorstoTheDialwasHenryDavidThoreau,wholivedintheEmersonhouseholdfrom1841to1843andbecameEmerson‘smostfamousdisciple（门徒）.ThefirstcollectionofEmerson’spoemsappearedin1847.Inspiteofhisdifficultyinwritingstructurallycorrectverse,healwaysregardedhimselfessentiallyasapoet.Amonghisbest-knownpoemsare“Threnody（葬歌）,”“Brahma（梵天）,”“TheProblem,”“TheRhodora（杜鹃花）,”and“TheConcordHymn（康科德）.Itwashiswinterlecturetours,however,whichfirstmadeEmersonfamousamonghiscontemporaries.TheselecturesreceivedtheirfinalforminhisseriesofEssays(1841;secondseries,1844).Themostnotableamongthemare“TheOver-Soul（论超灵）,”“Compensation（论补偿）,”and“Self-Reliance（依靠自我）.”（From1845-47)hedeliveredaseriesoflecturespublishedasRepresentativeMen（代表人物）(1850).AfterasecondtriptoEngland,in1847,hegaveanotherseriesoflectureslaterpublishedasEnglishTraits（英国人的特性）(1856).Duringthe1850shebecamestronglyinterestedinabolitionism（废奴运动)andwasanactivesympathizerwiththeNorthintheCivilWar.HislatelecturetoursarecontainedinTheConductofLife(1860)andSocietyandSolitude(1870).Thoughhislastyearsweremarkedbyadeclineinhismentalpowers,hisliteraryreputationrapidlycontinuedtospread.Probablynowriterhassoprofoundly(深刻地）influencedAmericanthoughtasEmerson“Self-Reliance”wasfirstpublishedinhis1841collection,Essays:FirstSeries.ItcontainsthemostsolidstatementofoneofEmerson'srepeatingthemes,theneedforeachindividualtoavoidconformityandfalseconsistency,andfollowhisorherowninstinctsandideas.EpigrambyEmerson•Thefirstwealthishealth.•健康是人生第一财富。•Agreatmanisalwayswillingtobelittle.•伟大的人物总是愿意当小人物的。•Self-trustisthefirstsecretofsuccess.•自信乃成功之第一秘诀。•Progressistheactivityoftodayandtheassuranceoftomorrow.•进步