Emerson was an American essayist and poet who was a part of the Transcendentalist movement in the nineteenth century. These lectures begun in 1845 explore the principles and hopes of the young United States. The men in this work are Plato, Swednborg, Michel de Montaigne, Shakespeare, von Gothe and Napoleon. These "representative" men embody the virtues Emerson valued. | Representative Men by Ralph Waldo Emerson, Paperback | Indigo Chapters