ENGLISH LITERATURE (CBSE/UGC NET)

Detailed explanation-1: -Emerson acted as a mentor to Thoreau and supported him in many ways. For a time, Thoreau lived with Emerson as a caretaker for his home. Emerson also used his influence to promote Thoreau’s literary efforts. Some of Thoreau’s first works were published in The Dial, a Transcendentalist magazine.

Detailed explanation-2: -It was in 1836 when the two transcendentalists met. Emerson would later become Thoreau’s good friend and mentor. Thoreau, looking up to Emerson, would be inspired by his transcendentalist ideals and would start his own works inspired by Emerson’s original thoughts.

Detailed explanation-3: -Gerald Vaughn, “Ralph Waldo Emerson’s Mentor at Harvard” Historical Journal of Massachusetts Volume 35, No.

Detailed explanation-4: -Emerson, however, didn’t try to find the one ideal friend in one person, he found different aspects of that ideal friendship in many people. So Thoreau was just one of the many friends that Emerson had; although, certainly later in life, he kept referring to Thoreau as his best friend.

Detailed explanation-5: -In 1833, he attended Harvard College where he met the American philosopher and transcendentalist Ralph Waldo Emerson who influenced Thoreau with his ideas. One of his most renowned works, “Walden or Life in the Woods” (1854), was written during his stay in a cabin built on the land owned by Emerson.