에머슨의 『대표인』(Representative Men)에 나타난 동양사상

Oriental Ideas in Emerson's Representative Men

This paper is to look at the elements of Oriental ideas in his Representative Men in terms of Emerson's enchantment with the Oriental religions By the late 1840s, he had known oriental religions through various orientalists' introductions of them In the late 1840s, when Emerson worked on Representative Man, he was very interested in Oriental religion Emerson's journals written in the late 40s show that oriental religious ideas attracted him Representative Men shows that Emerson was able to arrive at his own truth by unifying elements in the oriental religions Emerson suggests the usefulness of great men with the interrelatedness of th individual and the universal The universal identity corresponds with the Hindu concept of the oneness of God and all things Emerson's concern with the loss of individuality shows his interest in Buddhism His discussion of life's impermanence and his association of rotation with detachment suggest the influence of Buddhism Yet Emerson does not agree with the Buddhist view that all existence is ephemeral and thus devoid of a permanent self Emerson searched into oriental religious traditions and enhanced his values and his nation's values