# How does Representative Men develop the theme of The Poet and Writer as Seer?

> Representative Men by Ralph Waldo Emerson

## Answer

Representative Men by Ralph Waldo Emerson develops The Poet and Writer as Seer across the chapters the companion marks for this theme.

The writer or poet is portrayed as a secretary of nature, reporting the facts of existence and translating the material world into spiritual and moral truths, with Shakespeare and Goethe as prime examples.

Plato is described as having a 'soliform eye' and 'boniform soul,' and his writings possess the sempiternal youth of poetry, with arguments that could be couched in sonnets.

Swedenborg is portrayed as a seer who accesses higher truths through intuition and vision, beyond empirical experience.

Shakespeare is depicted as a seer who read the hearts of men and women and wrote the text of modern life, yet fell short of exploring the spiritual meaning behind symbols.

## Evidence

- [plato-new-readings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/representative_men_se/chapters/plato-new-readings.md): Plato is described as having a 'soliform eye' and 'boniform soul,' and his writings possess the sempiternal youth of poetry, with arguments that could be couched in sonnets.
- [iii-swedenborg-or-the-mystic](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/representative_men_se/chapters/iii-swedenborg-or-the-mystic.md): Swedenborg is portrayed as a seer who accesses higher truths through intuition and vision, beyond empirical experience.
- [v-shakespeare-or-the-poet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/representative_men_se/chapters/v-shakespeare-or-the-poet.md): Shakespeare is depicted as a seer who read the hearts of men and women and wrote the text of modern life, yet fell short of exploring the spiritual meaning behind symbols.
- [vii-goethe-or-the-writer](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/representative_men_se/chapters/vii-goethe-or-the-writer.md): Goethe is portrayed as the writer who reports the doings of the miraculous spirit of life, selecting and communicating the eminent characteristics of nature and experience.

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