Emerson's Author

"The sign and credentials of the poet are that he announces that which no man foretold. He is the true and only doctor; he knows and tells; he is the only teller of news, for he was present and privy to the appearance which he describes. He is a beholder of ideas and an utterer of the necessary and casual. For we do not speak now of men of poetical talents, or of industry and skill in metre, but of the true poet." Emerson, The Poet, pg 726

As I read and re-read Emerson's explanation and critique of what he calls the "true poet" I am struck by the complexity and yet, simplicity with which he defines the word. From the quotation above, one can see that Emerson does not regard any casual human being as possessing the ability to be so poetically inclined, for he clearly distinguishes those holding some "poetic talents" within the industry from those who capture profoundly new ideas and contemplations within language. Emerson implies the true poet to be a person of intelligence and one who possesses a great deal of formal, or perhaps informal, education. This is clearly identified when Emerson compares the true poet to a doctor. Commonly, doctors have endured a great deal of schooling and life experience, thus making them well-rounded and knowledgeable in all aspects of humanity. This wealth of intelligence, when expressed to others, assists those in need in understanding how to better care for themselves and sustain a healthy lifestyle. In essence, when Emerson speaks of the true poet as being a doctor, he is suggesting that this talented individual helps humans to better understand themselves in order to live long in good health. It is interesting to think that what a doctor can do with medicine, so also the true poet can do with words.

Although, up until this point, Emerson's description of the true poet seems thick and extensive solely from the small passage recorded above, there is one phrase that causes me to believe Emerson might hope all people could be their own breed of the true poet, for although this revolutionary is required to present new ideas, he/she is also responsible for speaking "the necessary and the casual". This small suggestion subtly implies that although the true poet is supposed to be extensive and radical, he/she must also be able to resonate with and express that which is commonplace and regular in everyday life. Each human being has an understanding of both what is necessary and what is casual by their own standards of living and the incidents they have endured, thus humanity, on the individual level, meets Emerson's credential regarding what the true poet must be able to do.

After examining Emerson's view of the true poet through this particular passage, it becomes clear to me how this literary master might answer the question: "What is an Author?". Emerson's credentials may at first seem overwhelming, but when one takes a closer look it becomes evident that each human being contains a small portion of the true poet, for just as he/she announces new ideas and speaks of the necessary, so also people, through their own situatedness, have necessities to explain and new ideas to express.