The History of Literature 701 Emerson's Struggle with Slavery (with Kenneth Sacks) | My Last Book with Victoria Namkung | We Had Sex Inside Moby-Dick!
May 12, 2025
Kenneth Sacks, a Professor of history and classics at Brown University, discusses Ralph Waldo Emerson's complex journey with slavery, revealing his struggle between personal freedom and collective action. Victoria Namkung, a novelist known for her insights on Sui Sin Far, shares her choice for the last book she'd ever read. The conversation takes an intriguing turn as they explore the quirky connection between love hotels in Japan and Herman Melville's Moby-Dick, blending cultural history with literature in an entertaining way.
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Emerson's Struggle with Slavery
- Emerson opposed slavery but struggled with how to act without compromising his philosophical principles.
- His wavering between self-reliance and collective action reveals the complexity of intellectual engagement with moral issues.
Emerson on Freedom and Slavery
- Emerson viewed mental and spiritual freedom as more important than physical liberty.
- He believed a person could be physically enslaved but still free if their soul remained free.
Fear of Losing Individuality
- Emerson's journals reveal his opposition to slavery but also his fear of compromising self-reliance by joining political activism.
- He believed speaking out against slavery might mean acting under others' influence, threatening his individuality.
