Three Great Virtues - Three Essays by Emerson

Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882) was an American essayist, lecturer and poet, and a leading figure of the movement known as Transcendentalism. His essays, delivered first as lectures and then published, urged readers to trust their own intuition and to find meaning in nature and in the self. Self-Reliance, in particular, became one of the most quoted pieces of American prose, and Emerson’s influence reached writers as different as Thoreau, Whitman and Nietzsche.

The collection pairs each of the three virtues with one of Emerson’s essays. The first essay is divided into three parts, followed by Love and Friendship. The essays are dense with ideas but are written to be heard, and Emerson’s rhythmic, aphoristic style suits the spoken voice. Some of the language belongs to the nineteenth century, but the questions he raises about independence, affection and loyalty have lost nothing of their relevance.

Each essay can be heard on its own, which makes the collection pleasant to dip into. Listening to Emerson aloud brings out the sermon-like energy of his sentences, and a speaking voice gives them something of the emphasis of the lecture hall where he made his name.

Seven recordings, about 3.5 hours in all, are read by a LibriVox volunteer. Because each essay stands alone, the set can be heard in any order or spread over several days, and a long walk with Self-Reliance in your ears may be the best way to test Emerson’s claims against your own experience. Hear the three parts of Self-Reliance first and you will have the keynote of the whole set; Love and Friendship then turn the same demand for honesty toward the feelings we have for other people.