Emerson and American cosmopolitanism.

Title: Emerson and American cosmopolitanism.
Identifier: AAI3330374
identifier: 3330374
Creator: Bilwakesh, Nikhil.
Contributor: Adviser: David S. Reynolds
Date: 2008
Language: English
Publisher: City University of New York.
Subject: Literature, American
Abstract: Emerson uses the word "cosmopolitan" to describe the characteristically American legislature that will emerge in the United States. Examining the idea of cosmopolitanism in Emerson's work invites us to consider an early manifestation of what Bruce Robbins, in 1998, recognizes as "a growing consensus that cosmopolitanism sometimes works together with nationalism rather than in opposition to it." Emerson's idea of the cosmopolitan not only provides a meaningful framework for Americanists to study his work, but also contributes to contemporary theoretical interest in cosmopolitanism. The hitherto under-examined embodiment of the cosmopolitan as a functional idea in mid-nineteenth century America will contribute to studies on American transnationalism, and will help bridge an apparent opposition between philosophical transcendentalism and political engagement in the work of Emerson. Throughout the dissertation, I examine Emerson's relationship to the literature and land of India as it marks the bounds of his cosmopolitan scope.
Type: dissertation
Source: PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
degree: Ph.D.