ENGL 497Senior Seminar
Prof. G. Steinberg
Emerson sounds simple and clear, but a lot of what he writes isn't as simple or clear as it appears at first glance. What he says is usually clear in and of itself, for example, but how it relates to the real world is less clear. So, in class, I'm going to ask you over and over, "But what does that mean?"
Emerson's focus is very much on the writer who creates literature. For Emerson, literature is whatever a poet creates. So, what is a poet? What does a poet do? How is a poet different from everyone else? How is a poet the same as everyone else? What critical role does the poet play in society?
But also, what does the poet create? What makes something literature for Emerson? What function does literature serve for people in the grand scheme of things? Why is literature valuable to Emerson?
To respond to these questions on the message board, click here.