Abstract
This article seeks to interpret the ubiquitous presence of the inventor in Emerson’s writings. What power(s) is this figure endowed with—historical and social as much as poetic and philosophical—for Emerson to write that “one must be an inventor to read well”, or that “only an inventor knows how to borrow”? These paradoxes highlight moments of special energy in the essays, where the (practical) model of the inventor serves to typify the (moral and intellectual) virtue of the scholar. But Emerson’s constantly ambiguous assimilation to the figure of the inventor is also a way of staging the experience of writing as turning the private into the public, and as an exercise in democratic “borrowing”.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
