Emerson’s Transcendentalism and the Influen...

Emerson’s Transcendentalism and the Influence of Indian Philosophy in His Works

Author Name : Haripriya Sreekumar

ABSTRACT

Ralph Waldo Emerson was an Americanpoet, philosopher and essayist during the 19^th century. Emerson became known as the central figure of his literary and philosophical group, now known as the American Transcendentalists. These writers believed that individuals could transcend or go beyond the physical world into a spiritual world. Emerson was hugely influenced by Eastern philosophy. Most of his concepts are similar with the Indian philosophy and Emerson was also well-versed in Indian scriptures. He took titles of many of his poems from Hindu concepts.

Keywords: Emerson, Transcendentalism, Indian Philosophy, Indian scriptures