Emerson and the Work of Melancholia

I think "Emerson and the Work of Melancholia" was actually kind of interesting. Although it was very lengthy, it was quite informative. When reading works by Ralph Waldo Emerson such as "Nature" and "Self Reliance," it seemed very evident to me, and to other readers I am sure, that Emerson was a Romanticist. The flowery way he wrote, the way he related to nature so vividly, and his thoughts on human greatness all contributed to this thought. However, according to Mark Edmundson, Emerson rejected Romanticism later on in his life (Emerson). While Emerson was certainly considered a Romanticism writer, he gradually began to write against it until he rejected it completely (Emerson).

One thing I found interesting was that Emerson started using a Transcendentalist writing style after initially just using a Romanticist style (Emerson). Although Transcendentalism is just a break off of Romanticism, in my opinion it allowed Emerson to expand his thoughts a little bit more than he had, which I think in turn led to his complete rejection of Romanticism. Some might argue this point of view, but it makes sense to me. Since Emerson began drifting the slightest bit away from the general idea of Romanticism, maybe he began to see what it was like to not completely look at the world in a straight Romantic way.

In his later years, Emerson completely began rejecting Romanticism (Emerson). He began to act almost morose, writing about nature not in fact being the most important aspect of life. He wrote that the imagination was so incredibly powerful and dangerous; it was more powerful and compelling than even nature (Emerson). This shows such a change in him because before he had been so in love with nature and everything about it. His realization that imagination was more powerful than nature seemed to make him sad and depressed, and it led to his overall rejection of Romanticism. Emerson writes, "Thus we trace Fate, in matter, mind, and morals,—in race, in retardations of strata, and in thought and character as well. It is everywhere bound. or limitation. But Fate has its lord; limitation its limits; is different seen from above and from below; from within and from without. For, though Fate is immense, so is power, which is the other fact in the dual world, immense. If Fate follows and limits power, power attends and antagonizes Fate. We must respect Fate as natural history, but there is more than natural history" (Emerson)

This passage describes his view on nature as opposed to fate. Again, it is portrayed that nature is no longer the most important aspect of life. Fate is more powerful than natural history, which Emerson had previously ranted and raved about to no end. Emerson reached the dismal understanding that fate and a dreadful imagination can lead one down the wrong road, and it certainly ruined him. I think that "Emerson and the Work of Melancholia" is a sad but accurate representation of the literary life of Emerson, and it is both interesting and very compelling to think about.