Briefly, Desiderius Erasmus, (1469-1536) was the greatest scholar and teacher of the northern Renaissance, the first editor of the New Testament, and also an important figure in patristics and classical literature. If there were a Rushmorean monument for book lovers, he would be among the first selected, probably joined by Ralph Waldo Emerson. Both read books with great passion and appreciation long before they began to write about them and discuss their significance in lectures.
In First We Read, Then We Write: Emerson on the Creative Process, Robert D. Richardson shares the very best of Ralph Waldo Emerson’s thoughts about the creative process in general, and about writing in particular. There is no doubt in Richardson’s mind that Emerson could have published the material but probably didn’t because he was never wholly satisfied with his own work. His standards were so high “that even the Almighty could not have met them.”
In my opinion, Richardson’s Emerson: The Mind on Fire is the finest biography of him written thus far. What we have in First We Read, Then We Write is the only assemblage I know of that focuses on Emerson as a literary exemplar, sharing his thoughts about creative reading as well as creative writing.
The primary sources include two magnificent essays, “The American Scholar” and "The Poet." Emerson thought of himself more as a poet than as an essayist, one who earned this living as a lecturer. He viewed the poet as one who is representative, who “stands among partial men for the complete man, and apprises us not of his wealth, but of the commonwealth.” Writing is a noble calling that calls for noble sacrifice.” But Emerson never wrote an essay on the subject of writing.
Here is a representative selection of brief passages that caught my eye:
o On what young writers need to keep in mind: “Meek young men grow up in libraries believing it is their duty to accept the views which Cicero, Locke, and Bacon have given, forgetful that Cicero, Locke, and Bacon were only young men in libraries when they wrote those books.”
o On having passion and courage for writing: “The way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent.”
o On good writing: “Good writing and brilliant conversation are perpetual allegories.”
o On self-editing: “All writing should be selection in order to drop every dead word.”
o On priorities: “There is then creative reading as well as creative writing. First we read, then we beget; first we read, then we write.”
o Finally, to the reader of his essay, Nature: “Every spirit builds itself a house, and beyond its house a world, and beyond its world a heaven. Know then, that the world exists for you. For you is the phenomenon perfect. What we are, that only can we see. All that Adam had, all that Caesar could, you have and can do. Adam called his house, heaven and earth; Caesar called his house, Rome; you perhaps call yours, a cobbler’s trade; a hundred acres of polished land; or a scholar’s garret. Yet line for line and point for point; your dominion is as great as theirs, though without fine names. Build, therefore, your own world.”
Hopefully, many of those who read this volume will be encouraged to read several of Emerson’s essays as well as Richardson’s biography. There are several excellent collections of the essays and journals. My personal favorite is a Library of America College Edition, Emerson: Essays and Lectures: Nature: Addresses and Lectures/Essays: First and Second Series/ Representative Men/English Traits/The Conduct of Life.
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