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Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph L. Rusk
Contributed by: Collier
  • 1. Ralph Waldo Emerson by Ralph L. Rusk is a profound biographical exploration of the life and philosophy of one of America's most influential transcendentalist thinkers and writers. Rusk delves into Emerson's early life, his formative years at Harvard, and the pivotal experiences that shaped his views on individuality, nature, and society. The biography meticulously examines Emerson's relationships with notable contemporaries, such as Henry David Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne, while also reflecting on his impact on literature, philosophy, and the American cultural landscape. Through in-depth analysis and a wealth of historical context, Rusk presents Emerson not only as a literary figure but as a social thinker whose ideas on self-reliance, the interconnectedness of all living things, and the importance of nature continue to resonate in modern discourse. The biography is richly detailed, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of Emerson’s contributions to American thought and his enduring legacy as a champion of individualism and a critic of conformity.

    What is the primary focus of Ralph L. Rusk's biography of Emerson?
A) Transcendentalist movement history
B) Emerson's poetry exclusively
C) Emerson's life and intellectual development
D) Emerson's financial affairs
  • 2. What aspect of Emerson's character does Rusk emphasize?
A) His business acumen
B) His political ambition
C) His social conformity
D) His intellectual independence
  • 3. What does Rusk reveal about Emerson's early career?
A) His struggle with ministry
B) His business ventures
C) His immediate literary success
D) His political aspirations
  • 4. What does Rusk show about Emerson's lecturing career?
A) It was unsuccessful
B) It was his main income source
C) It was his primary goal
D) He disliked it
  • 5. How does Rusk view Emerson's relationship with nature?
A) As contradictory
B) As central to his philosophy
C) As superficial
D) As scientific only
  • 6. How does Rusk present Emerson's public reception?
A) As growing over time
B) As limited to America
C) As immediately widespread
D) As consistently negative
  • 7. How does Rusk treat Emerson's poetry?
A) As technically poor
B) As his main achievement
C) As integral to his thought
D) As separate from essays
  • 8. How does Rusk present Emerson's concept of self-reliance?
A) As borrowed entirely
B) As developed over time
C) As inconsistent
D) As sudden inspiration
  • 9. What year was Rusk's biography of Emerson published?
A) 1850
B) 1949
C) 1903
D) 1965
  • 10. Which prestigious award did Rusk's biography win?
A) Nobel Prize
B) Pulitzer Prize
C) National Book Award
D) Bancroft Prize
  • 11. Where was Emerson born?
A) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
B) Boston, Massachusetts
C) New York City
D) Concord, Massachusetts
  • 12. What was the name of Emerson's first wife?
A) Margaret Fuller
B) Lydia Jackson
C) Sophia Peabody
D) Ellen Tucker
  • 13. Which Harvard position did Emerson hold?
A) Librarian
B) President
C) Overseer
D) Professor of Philosophy
  • 14. What was Emerson's most famous essay?
A) The American Scholar
B) Self-Reliance
C) Nature
D) Experience
  • 15. Which journal did Emerson edit?
A) The Atlantic Monthly
B) The Dial
C) Harper's Magazine
D) The North American Review
  • 16. What was the name of Emerson's second wife?
A) Elizabeth Peabody
B) Lydia Jackson
C) Louisa May Alcott
D) Ellen Tucker
  • 17. Which famous writer did Emerson mentor?
A) Herman Melville
B) Henry David Thoreau
C) Walt Whitman
D) Nathaniel Hawthorne
  • 18. What college did Emerson attend?
A) Brown
B) Princeton
C) Yale
D) Harvard
  • 19. What caused Emerson's early retirement from ministry?
A) Poor health
B) Doctrinal disagreements
C) Family obligations
D) Financial reasons
  • 20. Which European philosopher greatly influenced Emerson?
A) Jean-Jacques Rousseau
B) Immanuel Kant
C) John Locke
D) Friedrich Nietzsche
  • 21. What was the name of Emerson's first book?
A) Nature
B) Essays: First Series
C) The Conduct of Life
D) Representative Men
  • 22. What was Emerson's father's profession?
A) Merchant
B) Minister
C) Lawyer
D) Physician
  • 23. What was Emerson's famous Harvard address called?
A) The Transcendentalist
B) Self-Reliance
C) The American Scholar
D) The Divinity School Address
  • 24. Which poet did Emerson help introduce to American audiences?
A) Emily Dickinson
B) Edgar Allan Poe
C) Robert Frost
D) Walt Whitman
  • 25. What was the cause of Emerson's death?
A) Pneumonia
B) Tuberculosis
C) Stroke
D) Heart failure
  • 26. What was Emerson's middle name?
A) Whitman
B) Warren
C) Waldo
D) William
  • 27. Which European writer did Emerson meet during his travels?
A) Charles Dickens
B) Victor Hugo
C) Leo Tolstoy
D) Thomas Carlyle
  • 28. Which reform movement did Emerson support?
A) Temperance
B) Labor unions
C) Abolitionism
D) Women's suffrage
  • 29. What was the name of Emerson's home in Concord?
A) Wayside
B) Bush
C) The Old Manse
D) Orchard House
  • 30. What was Rusk's profession besides being a biographer?
A) Editor
B) Librarian
C) Professor
D) Journalist
  • 31. What literary period is Emerson most associated with?
A) Romanticism
B) Realism
C) Modernism
D) Transcendentalism
  • 32. In what year was Emerson born?
A) 1810
B) 1820
C) 1803
D) 1795
  • 33. Which famous essay collection did Emerson publish in 1841?
A) Essays: First Series
B) The Conduct of Life
C) Representative Men
D) Nature
  • 34. Which institution did Rusk work for while writing the biography?
A) Columbia University
B) Smithsonian Institution
C) Harvard University
D) Library of Congress
  • 35. What makes Rusk's biography considered definitive?
A) Extensive use of primary sources
B) Popular writing style
C) Personal friendship with Emerson
D) First biography published
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