First We Read, Then We Write

First We Read, Then We Write
Author :
Publisher : University of Iowa Press
Total Pages : 113
Release :
ISBN-10 : 9781587298424
ISBN-13 : 1587298422
Rating : 4/5 (24 Downloads)

Book Synopsis First We Read, Then We Write by : Robert D. Richardson

Download or read book First We Read, Then We Write written by Robert D. Richardson and published by University of Iowa Press. This book was released on 2009-03-01 with total page 113 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Writing was the central passion of Emerson’s life. While his thoughts on the craft are well developed in “The Poet,” “The American Scholar,” Nature, “Goethe,” and “Persian Poetry,” less well known are the many pages in his private journals devoted to the relationship between writing and reading. Here, for the first time, is the Concord Sage’s energetic, exuberant, and unconventional advice on the idea of writing, focused and distilled by the preeminent Emerson biographer at work today. Emerson advised that “the way to write is to throw your body at the mark when your arrows are spent.” First We Read, Then We Write contains numerous such surprises—from “every word we speak is million-faced” to “talent alone cannot make a writer”—but it is no mere collection of aphorisms and exhortations. Instead, in Robert Richardson’s hands, the biographical and historical context in which Emerson worked becomes clear. Emerson’s advice grew from his personal experience; in practically every moment of his adult life he was either preparing to write, trying to write, or writing. Richardson shows us an Emerson who is no granite bust but instead is a fully fleshed, creative person disarmingly willing to confront his own failures. Emerson urges his readers to try anything—strategies, tricks, makeshifts—speaking not only of the nuts and bolts of writing but also of the grain and sinew of his determination. Whether a writer by trade or a novice, every reader will find something to treasure in this volume. Fearlessly wrestling with “the birthing stage of art,” Emerson’s counsel on being a reader and writer will be read and reread for years to come.


First We Read, Then We Write Related Books

First We Read, Then We Write
Language: en
Pages: 113
Authors: Robert D. Richardson
Categories: Reference
Type: BOOK - Published: 2009-03-01 - Publisher: University of Iowa Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Writing was the central passion of Emerson’s life. While his thoughts on the craft are well developed in “The Poet,” “The American Scholar,” Nature, �
First We Read, Then We Write
Language: en
Pages: 118
Authors: Robert D. Richardson
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-04 - Publisher: University of Iowa Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Writing was the central passion of Emerson’s life. While his thoughts on the craft are well developed in “The Poet,” “The American Scholar,” Nature, �
Emerson
Language: en
Pages: 705
Authors: Robert D. Richardson Jr.
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2015-04-22 - Publisher: Univ of California Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Recipient of the Francis Parkman Prize from the Society of American Historians Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the most important figures in the history of Americ
William James
Language: en
Pages: 638
Authors: Robert D. Richardson
Categories: Biography & Autobiography
Type: BOOK - Published: 2007-09-14 - Publisher: HMH

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The definitive biography of the fascinating William James, whose life and writing put an indelible stamp on psychology, philosophy, teaching, and religion—on
Building Their Own Waldos
Language: en
Pages: 217
Authors: Robert D. Habich
Categories: Literary Criticism
Type: BOOK - Published: 2011-03-15 - Publisher: University of Iowa Press

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

By the end of the nineteenth century, Ralph Waldo Emerson was well on his way to becoming the “Wisest American” and the “Sage of Concord,” a literary ce