Emerson & Thoreau: Figures of Friendship

A collection of essays from scholars in various disciplines including educational theory, literary history and criticism, philosophy, religious studies and rhetoric. The volume explores the meaning, variety, and challenges and of friendship through the conceptions and experiences of Emerson and Thoreau. A wonderful array of scholars explore an enduring theme through the texts and lives of seminal American thinkers.

“In their new book, John T. Lysaker and William Rossi have assembled a set of excellent scholarly essays that situate Emerson and Thoreau in the tradition of Western thinking about friendship stretching from Plato to Derrida.” Times Literary Supplement

“Emerson & Thoreau rises above the rest in that it sheds light not only on ideas but on the human interests that imbue them sometimes with beauty, occasionally with virtue, and too often with tragedy.” The Pluralist

“This thought-provoking collection offers valuable insights not only about Emerson and Thoreau but also about the ways in which their views of friendship resonate today.” The New England Quarterly