"The world is nothing, the man is all"

[If you wish to understand others, you must first intensify your own individualism.]

I'm pretty sure that I remember Professor Downing teaching that the word "autobiography" first developed in the Romantic period. After reading something like Emerson's "The American Scholar", I can definitely see hints of ideals that would motivate a person to record their life story because they were convinced of its importance. But I have trouble seeing why he would suspect anyone would want to read it. Emerson seems so absorbed in his own thoughts that he wants to share them with anyone willing to listen. But he’s also so deafened by his blaring ideas that he can’t hear anyone else.

"The American Scholar" boasts of individualistic ideas. He begins the thing by declaring an end to American dependence on any kinds of foriegn thoughts; the people of this country "will sing for themselves." By the end of the essay, he concludes, "Our day of dependence, our long apprenticeship to the learning of other lands, draws to a close. The millions, that around us are rushing into life, cannot always be fed on the sere remains of foreign harvests. Events, actions arise, that must be sung, that will sing themselves." Hello, American individualism! And it extends farther than just establishing our country as its distinct body of people; he also declares that each man should realize the importance of himself:

Another sign of our times, also marked by an analogous political movement, is, the new importance given to the single person. Every thing that tends to insulate the individual, -- to surround him with barriers of natural respect, so that each man shall feel the world is his, and man shall treat with man as a sovereign state with a sovereign state; -- tends to true union as well as greatness.

Our society today seems all too based on that type of idea. When each man pursues his own self interest, it turns out to be the best for everybody. Apparently it works for both economics and for our literary pursuits.

This idea of individualism is something I often think about in regards to reading and writing. They are such solitary activities that require the readers and writers to pay a great deal of attention to themselves and their own thoughts. It creates a world of people participating in solitary activities. I guess I find solace in the fact that literature is also a form of communication. It's not just for the individual to gain inspiration and independence; it's also a way to express their ideas with others.