Ralph Waldo Emerson

After Emerson’s death in 1882, his friends, family and contemporaries published several remembrances and biographies of his life. Notable among them is Oliver Wendell Holmes’ “Ralph Waldo Emerson” published in 1885. Holmes, the father of the influential Supreme Court Justice of the same name, was a prominent and respected writer in New England in the late 19th century. While many of Emerson’s biographies were written by his students and have a common tone of adoration, Holmes depicts Emerson’s life and philosophy with credible and unbiased analysis. He describes Emerson as a New England academic and a sort of prophet of intellect rather than a religious mystic. He does, however, provide commentary on Emerson’s teachings as a mystic even if he disagrees with some of the concepts. Holmes, who was an acquaintance of Emerson, is able to describe the personality, charm and demeanor of the great teacher.