Table of Contents

Abbreviations
Introduction

Chapter 1: Prelude to the Lecture Tour

Chapter 2: “Emerson Mania”: Emerson’s Lectures and British Reactions

Chapter 3: “A Home to the Thoughtful and Generous”: Emerson’s Record of Northern England and Scotland

Chapter 4: London and Paris

Chapter 5: The Legacy of the European Experience

Conclusion
Appendix 1: Map of England, Scotland and Wales in 1847-48
Appendix 2: Emerson in British and French Newspapers and Periodicals Prior to 1850
Appendix 3: Pre-1849 British Publications
Bibliography

Promotional Information

'Ralph Waldo Emerson in Europe' provides a unique insight into the formative years of a great American thinker. Koch here reveals the ways in which Emerson's experience profoundly influenced the future direction of his work on race, slavery and politics during the 1850s and 1860s - Emerson would become an outspoken abolitionist and libertarian.

About the Author

Daniel R. Koch obtained his D.Phil in History from the University of Oxford in 2009. He is currently Head of History at Worth School, West Sussex.

Reviews

'Ralph Waldo Emerson is, arguably, the single most important cultural figure in nineteenth-century America. The scholarship underpinning this study of a very important episode in his long public career is exceptional. The result is a highly original book that makes a significant contribution to our knowledge of Emerson's intellectual development and the cross-cultural debates of the mid-nineteenth century. It especially enriches our knowledge of the impact of the European Revolutions of 1848 on reform efforts in the United States. These latter would eventually culminate in the Civil War. Intelligent, non-experts will read this work with pleasure and delight. Scholars will find the work a rich resource that is well-organized and thoroughly researched. This could be the most important new study of Emerson in a decade. The scholarship is impressive, the writing is clear and clean, and the intellectual content is genuinely new, important, and enlightening.' Len Gougeon, Distinguished University Fellow and Professor of American Literature, University of Scranton 'This is the most comprehensive and detailed examination of a key moment in the career of America's most influential nineteenth-century intellectual. The study summarizes the preconceptions Emerson took with him to Europe, gives a clear, careful, and nuanced account of his experiences and lectures during his stay, and provides a thorough evaluation of the immediate and long-term effects of his experiences, especially with regard to his evolving thoughts on race and revolution. This is a very timely study that should prove of interest to all Emerson scholars as well as those now taking a transnational approach to American literary studies.' Larry J. Reynolds, Professor of English and Thomas Franklin Mayo Professor of Liberal Arts, Texas A&M University 'Ralph Waldo Emerson and Europe makes an original and useful contribution to Emerson scholarship and deepens our understanding of transatlantic cultural studies. There are many other virtues to enumerate, such as the cogent grasp of Emerson scholarship; the nuanced understanding of the adult education movement; the patient and detailed research into the biographical material (some of which is new); the clarity of the argumentation and the fine quality of the writing itself. This is an impressive achievement and I am certain this book will be welcomed by American scholars as an important contribution to our overall understanding of Emerson.' Paul Kane, Professor of English, Vassar College and Library of America Co-Editor of Emerson's Essays and Poems