“The theory of books is noble. The scholar of the first age received into him the world around; brooded thereon; gave it the new arrangement of his own mind, and uttered it again. It came into him, life; it went out from him, truth. It came to him, short-lived actions; it went out from him, immortal thoughts. It came to him, business; it went from him, poetry. It was dead fact; now, it is quick thought. It can stand, and it can go. It now endures, it now flies, it now inspires. Precisely in proportion to the depth of mind from which it issued, so high does it soar, so long does it sing.”
Literal Interpretation:
The idea of books is impressive. The first scholar learned from the world around him; give it any kind of interpretation he wanted and changed his ideas any time. Life came to him. Truth dissipated from him. Short-lived actions were what he did. Immortal thoughts left him. Business became his life. Poetry inside him died. Fact was not real. Quick thought was his life. It can change at any moment according to him. His ideas are in proportion to the depth of all the minds of the other people and will always be considered scholarly because no one can disprove him.
Having read about the background of Ralph Emerson, I have learned that he is a non-conformist. He believe in individualism. In this excerpt, the scholar is fabricating his own ideas off of what he sees, not fact. All the other people that are conforming to his ideas are just listening to what he is saying. Business, and pleasing others to hush them, became part of his life. Any poetry and sympathy left him, as did all fact and truth. His life became spitting out quick thoughts to endure this ride. A ride on which he could live the life of fame and a scholarly existence. As long as his ideas are being considered some of the best, people will always pass these concepts around. As one reads this excerpt, they can hear the almost angry tone Emerson uses to convey his feelings on conforming to this one mans “scholarly theories.”
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