Overview

An engaging reassessment of the celebrated essayist and his relevance to contemporary readers More than two centuries after his birth, Ralph Waldo Emerson remains one of the presiding spirits in American culture. Yet his reputation as the starry-eyed prophet of self-reliance has obscured a much more complicated figure who spent a lifetime wrestling with injustice, philosophy, art, desire, and suffering. James Marcus introduces readers to this Emerson, a writer of self-interrogating genius whose visionary flights are always grounded in Yankee shrewdness. This Emerson is a rebel. He is also a lover, a friend, a husband, and a father. Having declared his great topic to be “the infinitude of the private man,” he is nonetheless an intensely social being who develops Transcendentalism in the company of Henry David Thoreau, Margaret Fuller, Bronson Alcott, and Theodore Parker. And although he resists political activism early on—hoping instead for a revolution in consciousness—the burning issue of slavery ultimately transforms him from cloistered metaphysician to fiery abolitionist. Drawing on telling episodes from Emerson’s life alongside landmark essays like “Self-Reliance,” “Experience,” and “Circles,” Glad to the Brink of Fear reveals how Emerson shares our preoccupations with fate and freedom, race and inequality, love and grief. It shows, too, how his desire to see the world afresh, rather than accepting the consensus view, is a lesson that never grows old.

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9780691254333

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Reviews

"""Playful and insightful. . . . Marcus’s passion for his subject and his understanding of what makes a successful biography mean this book is delightful for any reader, however much (or little) they previously know about Emerson.""---Jessica Ferri, Washington Post ""[Glad to the Brink of Fear] emphasizes the enduring freshness and abiding relevance of Emerson’s writing. . . . Though many other biographers have covered similar territory, Marcus’ treatment provides a distinct and memorable sense of revelation. A lively, intimate, absorbing account of the sage of Concord."" * Kirkus Reviews, starred review * ""A distinctive biography of philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson that homes in on ‘those elements of Emerson’s life that spoke to me most directly.’ Fortunately, Marcus’s instincts are a good guide to the shifting sands of Emerson’s life and thought. . . . The result is a discerning take on an essential 19th-century American thinker."" * Publishers Weekly * ""[A] psychologically astute portrait. . . . Marcus’ deeply personal interpretation illuminates an iconic prophet who discovered that seeking the meaning of life turns out to be the meaning of life."" * Booklist * ""This is a fascinating addition to the splendid series of which it’s a part.""---Alan Dent, The Penniless Press ""James Marcus’ new biography, Glad to the Brink of Fear: A Portrait of Ralph Waldo Emerson, gives the best picture yet of Emerson—this country’s key thinker—whose writings try to answer, more than any others, the question of what it means to be an American. . . . [Marcus is] eloquent and moving in his effort to get as close as he can to Emerson the human being.""---David Mikics, Tablet ""The book, in a nutshell: generous and eloquent. . . . I believe I have learned and thought more — about Emerson, and Emerson and us — while reading Marcus’ book than any other.""---Peter Behrens, Arts Fuse"

"""[Glad to the Brink of Fear] emphasizes the enduring freshness and abiding relevance of Emerson’s writing. . . . Though many other biographers have covered similar territory, Marcus’ treatment provides a distinct and memorable sense of revelation. A lively, intimate, absorbing account of the sage of Concord."" * Kirkus Reviews, starred review *"

"""[Glad to the Brink of Fear] emphasizes the enduring freshness and abiding relevance of Emerson’s writing. . . . Though many other biographers have covered similar territory, Marcus’ treatment provides a distinct and memorable sense of revelation. A lively, intimate, absorbing account of the sage of Concord."" * Kirkus Reviews, starred review * ""A distinctive biography of philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson that homes in on ‘those elements of Emerson’s life that spoke to me most directly.’ Fortunately, Marcus’s instincts are a good guide to the shifting sands of Emerson’s life and thought. . . . The result is a discerning take on an essential 19th-century American thinker."" * Publishers Weekly *"

"""[Glad to the Brink of Fear] emphasizes the enduring freshness and abiding relevance of Emerson’s writing. . . . Though many other biographers have covered similar territory, Marcus’ treatment provides a distinct and memorable sense of revelation. A lively, intimate, absorbing account of the sage of Concord."" * Kirkus Reviews, starred review * ""A distinctive biography of philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson that homes in on ‘those elements of Emerson’s life that spoke to me most directly.’ Fortunately, Marcus’s instincts are a good guide to the shifting sands of Emerson’s life and thought. . . . The result is a discerning take on an essential 19th-century American thinker."" * Publishers Weekly * ""[A] psychologically astute portrait. . . . Marcus’ deeply personal interpretation illuminates an iconic prophet who discovered that seeking the meaning of life turns out to be the meaning of life."" * Booklist *"

Author Information

James Marcus is an editor, translator, and critic who has written and lectured widely on Emerson. His essays and criticism have appeared in leading publications such as The New Yorker, the Times Literary Supplement, and Harper’s Magazine. He is the author of Amazonia: Five Years at the Epicenter of the Dot.com Juggernaut.

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