Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Anglo-Saxonist Theory of Despair

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Table of Contents

Article Summary
The Main Argument
The Argument Assessment
The Significance of the Article

This paper deals with the article Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Saxons by Nell Irvin Painter, published in The Journal of American History, Vol. 95, No. 4. The article criticises Emerson’s race theories and analyses the mistakes made by Emerson and his contemporaries. This review aims to evaluate the contents of the article and assess the effectiveness of the arguments it presents.

Article Summary

Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Saxons presents the reader with an extensive review of the “Anglo-Saxonist” theory which was first heralded by Thomas Jefferson and later developed by Emerson and his mentor Thomas Carlyle. This ideology states that white Americans are, both racially and culturally, descendant from Saxons, viewed as a very romantic version of various Scandinavian and Germanic raiders and settlers which inhabited Britain from the 5^th century. The followers of Anglo-Saxonism saw Saxons as savage and virile raiders, full of courage and energy. By claiming to be the descendants of this people Saxonists elevated themselves above other races and nationalities, even discarding Celts as simple and brutish. Jefferson touched on these ideas, but it was Emerson, who developed and promoted the Anglo-Saxonism, dedicating an entire book English Traits to the subject. As the article states, he saw both Englishmen and Americans as heirs to Saxons and attributed to them the same traits he admired in his version of Saxons. Painter heavily criticises the theory. He points out that Emerson often makes mistakes: not distinguishing different ethnicities, not accounting for the political incompetence of Scandinavia of his era and seeing many traits he lacked as a base of the American character. The thesis of the article is that Emerson’s “Saxons” are not just any white people, but instead embody a certain set of idealised traits which he attributed to both Americans and Englishmen while contrasting them with the characteristics of inferior Celts.

The Main Argument

The principal argument of the article is that Emerson distinguishes Saxons from German peoples and Celts who are viewed as inferior in his work. He admires the qualities he sees as essential for a Saxon: brutality, virility, courage and masculinity. He sees other white peoples as inferior. Irish – the descendants of the Celts – are viewed as ugly and of little intelligence. French – as frivolous and corrupt. Germans – as lacking will and political constitution for greatness. To Emerson only the descendants of the Saxons – Englishmen and Americans – are true white people of any worth.

The Argument Assessment

Painter proves his point by providing the reader with many examples from the Emerson’s work. He shows how the Jefferson’s idea was developed and finalised in Emerson’s English Traits. The contents of the book are thoroughly analysed. It covers Northmen extensively while glancing over Germanic peoples and Celts. To Emerson, Scandinavian traits of personality are the most important for a Saxon. He admires savagery and manly beauty of the Norsemen. Painter states that Emerson is so infatuated with his own ideal, mythical Saxons that he cares little about the actual history of that nation. He does not distinguish between Jutes, Norsemen and real Saxons, who inhabited Britain from the 5^th century onward. He continues to romanticise the Jute Chieftains Horsa and Hengist the same way Jefferson did. The author states that Emerson was so obsessed with brutality and manliness due to the fact that he and many others of his generation lacked those qualities and were concerned about it. That was a part of what made Anglo-Saxonism popular in the late 19^th – early 20^th century. Painter also points out that Scandinavian Norsemen and German Saxons are of little interest to Emerson as he sees Saxons as perfect forefathers of Englishmen and Americans, not as an actual historical entity. All of these examples illustrate the author’s point that Emerson was one of the first white-race theorists, who drew the lines between different white races. The author supplies every point he makes with a large number of quotations. He also gives extensive commentary and points out which books and articles can give some deeper insight into the problem. It can be safely concluded that all of the arguments in the article are viable and have a basis in previous works on the subject.

The Significance of the Article

Ralph Waldo Emerson is one of the most influential thinkers and writers of the American Renaissance. To understand his work properly it is essential to understand his way of thinking, including any misconceptions he had. Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Saxons helps the reader figure out Emerson’s stance on races and racial superiority. The article also does an excellent job explaining where those ideas come from and how they developed. Painter covers all of the mistakes in the theory and how it managed to become widespread in spite of them. He gives useful and relevant historical context, allowing the reader to fully understand how that theory was affected by it. The article presents a lot of valuable information about the Anglo-Saxonism and Emerson’s way of thinking, which is useful to anybody analysing or just reading his work.

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Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Anglo-Saxonist Theory of Despair

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