R.W. Emerson의 散文에 나타난 Self-Reliance의 硏究

Abstract

R. W. Emerson은 19세기 美國作家들 가운데 가장 유명하고 영향력이 至大한 作家중의 한사람이다. 그는 New England Transcendentalism의 代辯人이었으며 그의 사랑의 핵심은 Self-Reliance이다. 그는 當代의 물질주의와 점증하는 産業主義를 못마땅하게 생각하였다. 그는 人間은 神의 形象대로 창조되었음을 주장하였고 自身의 영혼속에 있는 神의 音聲을 들어야 한다고 주장하였다. 따라서 진실한 인간이란 특히 學者는 Self-Reliance를 가져야 한다는 것이다. Self-Reliance의 사상은 Emerson의 全思想의 기초개념이다. 各 個人은 直觀을 통하여 神과 交通할 수 있으므로 결국 人間은 자신의 心性을 통하여 神性과 完全性을 획득할 수 있다는 것이다. 그러나 個人은 社會와 단절되어 살아갈수는 없다. 個人의 社會의식이 높아감에 따라, 人間은 社會에서의 자신의 위치를 찾게 되다. Emerson은 자신의 職分을 詩人으로 확신하였다. 詩人에게는 말한다는 사실이 하나의 行動이었다.

많은 비평가들은 Emerson의 활동시기를 前後期로 나누어 前期에는 社會와 國家, 그리고 敎會를 부인하였고 後期에 와서는 거기에 順應하게 되었다고 주장한다. 그러나 그것은 피상적인 관찰이다. 그가 거부한 것은 社會 그 自體나 社會의 效用이 아니라, 社會의 규율적이고 형식적인 制度와 惡習이었다. 따라서 그가 後期에 와서 社會와 和解를 했다거나 運命에 順應했다는 表現은 걸맞지 않다.

그는 眞理에 充實한 사람이었고 後期에는 새로운 人間像 즉 Man Thinking을 實踐해 본 것이다. 바로 그러한 人間만이 새로운 社會를 건설할 수 있다는 것이다. 그는 ?瘤? 個個人은 활동의 主體이오. 社會는 그 活動무대임을 잘 알고 있었다. 個人과 社會의 두 요소는 동시에 兩立해야 하는 상호보완적인 요소인 것이다.

Ralph Waldo Emerson has been widely regarded as the most famous and most influential of the nineteenth century American writers. He was the spokesman of New England Transcendentalism. And the core of his thoughts is Self-Reliance. He condemned the materialism and the growing industrialism of his age. But he found it possible to compromise between ideal and reality.

He suggested that a man was created in image of God and should hear the voice of God in the should. Consequently a true man, especially a Scholar, should have Self-Reliance, which is the main idea of Emerson's whole thoughts. Each individual can communicate with God through his own intuition, so it is possible to achieve divinity or perfection through his own mind.

But every individual cannot live alone without being concerned with society. As the social consciousness increases, each individual seeks to find his role in society. Emerson considered his vocation as Sayer, the poet, Saying words was a kind of action to him.

Most critics view that, in his earlier period of Emerson's writings, he rejected the society, the nation and the church. However, it is a superficial observation. It is the formal institutions in society or evil traditions of society that he rejected. Not the uses or good effects of society. And in his later period of writing he has been said to have reconciled himself with society or to yield to the fate. But in my opinion he never submitted to the fate, only faithful to the truth. He spent his later lifetime on showing how to be a new man. Man Thinking, who is able to establish a new society. He was never opposed to the society itself and never reconciled with it. He was always recognizing that they needed each other. Every individual is an actor and society is the stage on which the actor plays. The two factors are compatible at the same time.

Ralph Waldo Emerson has been widely regarded as the most famous and most influential of the nineteenth century American writers. He was the spokesman of New England Transcendentalism. And the core of his thoughts is Self-Reliance. He condemned the materialism and the growing industrialism of his age. But he found it possible to compromise between ideal and reality.

He suggested that a man was created in image of God and should hear the voice of God in the should. Consequently a true man, especially a Scholar, should have Self-Reliance, which is the main idea of Emerson's whole thoughts. Each individual can communicate with God through his own intuition, so it is possible to achieve divinity or perfection through his own mind.

But every individual cannot live alone without being concerned with society. As the social consciousness increases, each individual seeks to find his role in society. Emerson considered his vocation as Sayer, the poet, Saying words was a kind of action to him.

Most critics view that, in his earlier period of Emerson's writings, he rejected the society, the nation and the church. However, it is a superficial observation. It is the formal institutions in society or evil traditions of society that he rejected. Not the uses or good effects of society. And in his later period of writing he has been said to have reconciled himself with society or to yield to the fate. But in my opinion he never submitted to the fate, only faithful to the truth. He spent his later lifetime on showing how to be a new man. Man Thinking, who is able to establish a new society. He was never opposed to the society itself and never reconciled with it. He was always recognizing that they needed each other. Every individual is an actor and society is the stage on which the actor plays. The two factors are compatible at the same time.