Ebook Solid Seasons The Friendship of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson Jeffrey S Cramer Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Books
Download As PDF : Solid Seasons The Friendship of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson Jeffrey S Cramer Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Books
A thoughtfully researched, movingly presented dual-biography of two iconic American writers, each trying to find the ideal friend with whom they could share their journey through our imperfect world.
Any biography that concentrates on either Henry David Thoreau or Ralph Waldo Emerson tends to diminish the other figure, but in Solid Seasons both men remain central and equal. Through several decades of writing, friendship remained a primary theme for them both.
Collecting extracts from the letters and journals of both men, as well as words written about them by their contemporaries, Jeffrey S. Cramer beautifully illustrates the full nature of their twenty-five-year dialogue. Biographers like to point at the crisis in their friendship, focusing particularly on Thoreau's disappointment in Emerson―rarely on Emerson's own disappointment in Thoreau―and leaving it there, a friendship ruptured. But the solid seasons remained, as is evident when, in 1878, Anne Burrows Gilchrist, the English writer and friend of Whitman, visited Emerson. She wrote that his memory was failing "as to recent names and topics but as is usual in such cases all the mental impressions that were made when he was in full vigour remain clear and strong." As they chatted, Emerson called to his wife, Lidian, in the next room, "What was the name of my best friend?"
"Henry Thoreau," she answered.
"Oh, yes," Emerson repeated. "Henry Thoreau."
Ebook Solid Seasons The Friendship of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson Jeffrey S Cramer Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Books
"The author, Jeffery S. Cramer, an expert on the two sages of Concord, vacuums up every conceivable thought either Thoreau or Emerson ever expressed on the subject of friendship and handily places these thoughts in this slightly odd-sized volume.
I found myself wondering (while nearly nodding off) well into this book if Emerson ever got tired of writing about friendship in his journals. However, I was brought back to attention by his noble eulogy to his friend Henry David Thoreau that is placed at the end.
This book is derived entirely from the texts of the two men. Do not look for views of their contemporaries or later critics or admirers."
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Solid Seasons The Friendship of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson Jeffrey S Cramer Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Books Reviews :
Solid Seasons The Friendship of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emerson Jeffrey S Cramer Ralph Waldo Emerson Henry David Thoreau Books Reviews
- The author, Jeffery S. Cramer, an expert on the two sages of Concord, vacuums up every conceivable thought either Thoreau or Emerson ever expressed on the subject of friendship and handily places these thoughts in this slightly odd-sized volume.
I found myself wondering (while nearly nodding off) well into this book if Emerson ever got tired of writing about friendship in his journals. However, I was brought back to attention by his noble eulogy to his friend Henry David Thoreau that is placed at the end.
This book is derived entirely from the texts of the two men. Do not look for views of their contemporaries or later critics or admirers. - If one lives with the writings of Thoreau and Emerson each day and over a lifetime, a confidence grows - that no new secondary work can reveal things to the really dedicated student. A proprietary freeze sets in. But Jeffrey S. Cramer's SOLID SEASONS proves how unfounded such a confidence can be. Mr. Cramer's newest work reads like the voice of a welcome but unsuspected family friend, the voice of one who appears suddenly and reveals elements and angles about relatives we were sure we knew best on our own. And yet I would not hesitate to recommend SOLID SEASONS to anyone just starting out on the grand adventure of reading Emerson and Thoreau. Thus, whether novice or veteran, one could not be in the hands of a better guide than Mr. Cramer in his SOLID SEASONS. Hours spent with this book are solid seasons unto themselves.
- As with the annotations for “Waldenâ€, Jeff Cramer brings back to life two of the greatest American philosophers and writers – or brings us back to them, as if we were walking side by side with them, listening to their conversations. Jeff achieved this through collecting extracts from the letters and journals of both men, as well as words about them from their contemporaries. The sources are all original and carefully examined - who could have done this better than a librarian at the Thoreau Institute - which gives credibility and authenticity to Jeff’s narrative. This was true of his much-acclaimed “Walden The Annotated Editionâ€, I’m delighted to see that it is true of “Solid Seasons†as well.
I’m less fascinated about who is greater and more popular, Emerson or Thoreau – though some may find evidence from this book to support their arguments from either side - than about how their friendship grew, flourished and nurtured them throughout their lifetime, and became part of what makes us so proud to be an American, a New Englander, a human being.
I bought a few copies for myself and my friends, hoping that our friendship would also grow, flourish and nurture us. - For 157 years, biographies, essays, articles and lectures have been put forth wherein part, or entirety, have sought to explain the complex, intense and deep relationship between Thoreau and Emerson. Heretofore the subject and facts have been mostly cast in the colors of the particular purveyor's opinion and hearsay. Jeffery Cramer has stood aside and simply allowed Thoreau and Emerson, tell us, in their own words brilliantly laid out side by side, their feelings and thoughts for each other, their joy and angst in their friendship, and its affect on their concept of friendship in general over the course of the 25 years that they were joined.
- This beautifully written, meticulously researched book about the friendship of Emerson and Thoreau is at once scholarly, immediately engaging and heartfelt. It's a deep and thoughtful look into the nature of friendship and the friendship of two of the most seminal authors and thinkers in American literature. Story-full, insightful and moving, this is a book you will love, and you will want to both keep it for yourself and give it away as a gift to your own best friend. I loved it!
- The complexities and nuances of the friendship between Emerson and Thoreau are brilliantly described and analyzed in Cramer's biography. Interspersing life events, their letters, and the writings of their contemporaries, Cramer provides a rich description of the ebb and flow of their enduring friendship. I highly recommend it!
