Emerson, I am trying to live...the examined life - The Transcendentalist Poet Mary Oliver

Abstract

Even after the poet’s passing in 2019, Mary Oliver’s poetry continues to soothe and inspire her readers. Celebrated for her mindful and meditative poetic responses to the natural world, her name has been linked to literary movements such as American Transcendentalism and Romanticism. This article traces such Transcendentalist thought in selected works by Mary Oliver through comparisons made to Emerson’s concept of the Over-Soul and the position of the poet as presented by both writers.

Keywords

• Mary Oliver
• Ralph Waldo Emerson
• Transcendentalism
• Poetry
• Contemporary Poetry