# The Poet and Writer as Seer in Representative Men

> Theme guide for Representative Men by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

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.

## Where it surfaces

- [Plato: New Readings](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/representative_men_se/chapters/plato-new-readings): 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; or, the Mystic](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/representative_men_se/chapters/iii-swedenborg-or-the-mystic): 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): 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): 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.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/representative_men_se/themes/the_poet_and_writer_as_seer
- Themes index: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/representative_men_se/themes