Emerson’s Temporalities: The Eternal Present vs. the Not Yet Present

Emerson’s Temporalities: The Eternal Present vs. the Not Yet Danielle Follett (bio) 1. introduction In “Experience” (1844), Emerson writes, “Our life seems not present, so much as prospective.”1 Here and elsewhere he expresses an intuition of human natural vitality a process becoming progression toward glimpsable but yet existent, more harmonious state. “Not for affairs on which it is wasted,” continues, “but hint this vast-flowing vigor” (3:42). That is, our hints eventual manifestation “unbounded substance”—one his many terms divine power—mentioned few lines earlier. describes hopeful path, “tendency or direction,” future realization something higher that intimated actual “Life hereby melted into expectation religion” (3:41). However, just before after these passages, in writings, also maintains ultimate power always already present here now, all actions: “Every day, every act betrays ill-concealed deity” (3:45). Underlying omnipresent, energy only invests day moment with its immanent force, isolates [End Page 639] from others, extracting linear time, creating highly charged eternal present: “God delights to isolate us hide past future” (3:39). We are invited orient ourselves prospectively towards future, rather experience fully heightened moment: “‘You will remember,’ say, ‘and you expect’” instant self-contained specifically denies any connection past. Paradoxically, Emerson, being’s grandeur both come forever underlying flux multiplicity; eternally present. thus have juxtaposition two quite different temporalities: linear, progressive, teleological temporality movement state heralded existent; instantaneous, spontaneous spiritual manifesting itself moment, rejects welcomes eternity. This coexistence apparent throughout writings. What relationships between temporalities? Can we draw larger circle around contradiction, does exemplify unresolved irreducible instability? essay explore questions, arguing discrepancy divergent views time manifests fundamental metaphysical tension informs thought. I’ll first briefly situate my approach within framework recent scholarship aims understand religious thinker. Then outlining temporalities, discuss Stanley Cavell’s antimetaphysical reading Emersonian finally propose while cannot resolve views, can interpret by placing context metaphysics. 640] 2. “detranscendentalizing” “retranscendentalizing” emerson critical other Transcendentalists arose during poststructuralist period, marked generally skeptical attitude, has taken form analyses tend minimize, sideline negate foundations Transcendentalist Lawrence Buell used term 1984, resurfaced title Michael Lopez’s 1988 article “De-transcendentalizing Emerson.”2 An example resistence thought appears George Kateb’s 1995 Self-Reliance; struggling read secular thinker, Kateb writes frank sincerity, “It obvious I find religiousness impediment reception . fact pervasive remains tremendous problem.”3 He eventually concludes “we judge problem minor.”4 Lopez wrote following year contemporaneous writers’ “dependence vocabulary be profoundly misleading”; found their usage “terms like spirit, Over-Soul, absolute, Unity, ‘ever...