"Nature" was published in 1836 as a personal manifesto of sorts, and many of Emerson's later essays grew out of this one. In it, Emerson wrangles with the major metaphysical questions of life, including the relationship between man and the world, the function and meaning of language, the importance of relying on one's own direct experience, the origin of wisdom and creativity, and the inherent morality and divinity of human beings. The publication of "Nature" helped establish Emerson's reputation and sparked the coming together of a group of like-minded thinkers, the Transcendentalists.
"An Address Delivered Before the Senior Class in Divinity College, Cambridge" was given at Harvard in...
