This document discusses Ralph Waldo Emerson and transcendentalism. It defines transcendentalism as a 19th century American philosophical movement centered around Emerson that emphasized intuition, idealism, and nature. It provides biographical details on Emerson and summarizes some of his major works, including Nature, Self-Reliance, and The Transcendentalist. These works explored themes of non-conformity, self-reliance, the limitations of traditional religion, and finding higher meaning through nature rather than traditional scripture or authorities. The document also notes Emerson's influence on other writers and his legacy of developing American transcendentalist ideas.