American sage : the spiritual teachings of Ralph Waldo Emerson /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:Andrews, Barry M., author.
Imprint:Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press, [2021]
©2021
Description:x, 237 pages ; 23 x 16 cm
Language:English
Subject:
Format: Print Book
URL for this record:http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/12634898
Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:9781625346063
1625346069
9781625346070
1625346077
9781613768822
9781613768839
Notes:Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:"Even during his lifetime, Ralph Waldo Emerson was called the Sage of Concord, a fitting title for this leader of the American Transcendentalist movement. Everything that Emerson said and wrote directly addressed the conduct of life, and in his view, spiritual truth and understanding were the essence of religion. Unsurprisingly, he sought to rescue spirituality from decay, eschewing dry preaching and rote rituals. Unitarian minister Barry Andrews has spent years studying Emerson, finding wisdom and guidance in his teachings and practices, and witnessing how the spiritual lives of others are enriched when they grasp the many meanings in his work. In American Sage, Andrews explores Emerson's writings, including his journals and letters, and makes them accessible to today's spiritual seekers. Written in everyday language and based on scholarship grounded in historical detail, this enlightening book considers the nineteenth-century religious and intellectual crosscurrents that shaped Emerson's worldview to reveal how his spiritual teachings remain timeless and modern, universal and uniquely American"--
Other form:Online version: Andrews, Barry M. American sage Amherst : University of Massachusetts Press, [2021] 9781613768822
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review

Ralph Waldo Emerson was a uniquely American spiritual leader whose insights continue to offer valuable wisdom today, argues Unitarian minister Andrews (Transcendentalism and the Cultivation of the Soul) depicts in this solid study. In recounting Emerson's struggles to discern his true path--as well as his activism in the abolitionist and women's rights movements--Andrews sets up Emerson as both a model and a guide for contemporary spiritual seekers. As a product of Harvard College and the Unitarian Church, Emerson was exposed to Romanticism, historical biblical scholarship, and Eastern religions, influences which led to his departure from parish ministry and inspired his participation in the Transcendentalist movement. Andrews credits Emerson with separating the term spirituality from particular Christian denominations--thus freeing the essence of religion from outdated rituals and traditions. Other key themes from Emerson's writings include the necessity of individuals discerning their own spiritual paths, self-reliance, seeking truth, experiencing solitude, and spending time in nature. Though Andrews can meander, he succeeds in making Emerson's ideas and recommended spiritual practices accessible and relevant to contemporary readers. Those interested in 19th-century American spiritualism or the father of transcendentalism should take a look. (Sept.)

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Review by Publisher's Weekly Review