Nature

Nature is a short essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson, published anonymously in 1836, that lays the groundwork for transcendentalism. Emerson explores the interconnectedness of the natural world, drawing on contemporary advances in zoology, botany, and geology to support his ideas. This work is significant as it marks the emergence of transcendentalism as a prominent cultural movement and greatly influenced later writers, including Henry David Thoreau, who cited it as a key inspiration for his own work, Walden.