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Nordic Influence on Emerson's Self-RelianceNordic Influence on Emerson's Self-Reliance by Elizabeth S. Scofield, Hardbound, (2021) Illustrations, 200pp This
is the story of one woman’s quest to answer these questions: From where and
whom did Ralph Waldo Emerson first learn about the Scandinavian Vikings? In the
words of Andrew Wawn, “The most fundamental Viking-Age belief was self reliance.”
If Ralph Waldo Emerson was exposed to the mythical stories and historical
actions of the Scandinavian Vikings early in life, could that mean that the
origin of his Self-Reliance doctrine expressed in his lectures and writings was
a direct result of knowing about these Nordic stories as a child? Elizabeth
Scofield walks the reader through her 1993-2006 journey from the West Coast of
the United States to Roskilde, Denmark, then to Cambridge, Massachusetts with
the aim of answering these questions. Tracing evidence from Ralph Waldo
Emerson’s published lectures, handwritten journal entries at Houghton Library,
and marginalia discovered within the volumes of family books at the Old Manse
in Concord, Massachusetts, Ms. Scofield opens up new questions as to the
possible true source of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s concept of Self-Reliance. J-S1463 978-1-59641-463-1 Also available in Softcover |