Emerson and American Poetry

May 25 is Ralph Waldo Emerson’s birthday (1803). He is one of the great essayists America has produced. And as a poet, he’s a great essayist. This piece by Dan Chiasson, another poet, gets at Emerson’s importance for American poetry.

https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/09/07/ecstasy-of-influence?utm_campaign=aud-dev&utm_source=nl&utm_brand=tny&utm_mailing=TNY_Daily_052519&utm_medium=email&bxid=5bd6717c2ddf9c619439130e&cndid=24383955&esrc=&utm_term=TNY_Daily