本文尝试厘清爱默生在美国文学批评史上究竟提出过哪些观点，这些观点又应该如何评价，进而说明作为文学批评家的爱默生的价值究竟体现在哪些地方。导言简介了爱默生的生平及作品并对引述以往研究者对他在文学史上地位的评价。其余部分分为三编，即概述、理论批评与实用批评。概述部分把爱默生定位为“经验性的批评家”，把研究范围确定在爱默生最直接涉及文学批评的作品，这包括作者生前身后出版的散文、诗歌、演讲、布道以及日记和书信等相关部分。早期演讲明晰地展示了爱默生关于文学的独特观点是如何发展的。爱默生经由科勒律治和卡莱尔间接地接受了谢林的自然哲学，并对之加以发挥，形成了自己独到的自然观。爱默生认为诗人是表达者和宣言者，而不是制作者。但从根本上说，爱默生更加关注的是生活，而不是文学。爱默生试图把宗教解释为纯粹精神的、个人的、伦理的。他把自然、文学和伟人生平看作是宗教的三大替代物，它们都意在激活人的灵魂。因此爱默生关注的是文学跟生活的关系，以及文学中所体现的真、善、美的关系。文学的目的在于表现真理，只有自我能够形成真理的概念并发出声音，可以实现的最充分的自我表达，同时也是真理最充分的表达。爱默生认为，自然的语言是第一、也是最后的语言，而语言是自我认识的一种工具。但仅靠语言或形式上的技巧不能造就文学，作家更应当关注的是如何表达真理、传递真实。爱默生认为阅读是一种“发现自己”的过程。他对语言以及阅读问题的看法，相当程度上可以在身后其他批评家的著述中找到呼应。文学深思熟虑和努力表达的思想，是人类要通过它所有的才能，依循真理的楷模，建立起人类生活的准则。研究文学的目的不是为了成为文学家，而是为了了解自己、了解世界，在这个过程中看清自己、坚持自己。爱默生不满足于仅仅对英国文学进行编年史般的记述，而试图明确英国文学的实质、特点及其目的。他认为文学之所以存在是为了展现世界的美，与狭隘的民族主义无关，不论是英国的还是美国的。但与对英国及其他欧洲作家的评价相比，爱默生对美国作家似乎宽容得多。这无疑是因为他处在美国文学自觉意识抬头、寻求摆脱欧洲影响的时代转折点上，爱默生对蒙田、莎士比亚、培根、卡莱尔等作家的批评都是基于这个出发点，同时他对美国的年轻作家如富勒、梭罗、惠特曼等人的批评，更多是鼓励而不纯粹只是判断，意在引导而不是指摘，因此他对后来美国文学的走向影响极大。

The present report attempts to analyze Emerson’s viewpoints on literature in general as well as his comments on individual writers. Emerson has always been interpreted as a philosopher or herald of American culture, but what the present report would like to focus on is to find out his values as a literary critic. Introduction briefly talks about his life, works and other critics’ comments on him. The rest of the report can be divided into three parts: overview, theoretical criticism and practical criticism.The first part defines Emerson as an “experiential critic”, focusing on what can be determined as his literary criticism, including the perspectives as reflected in his prose, essays, lectures, sermons, poems, journals and letters. The early lectures of Emerson clearly show how his unique literary viewpoints are developed.Emerson accepted Schilling’s philosophy of nature via Coleridge and Carlyle, but he formed a unique conception of nature in his own way. Emerson thinks that poets are expressers rather than makers. Fundamentally Emerson cares more about life itself than literature.Emerson tries to interpret religion as purely spiritual, personal and ethical. He terms nature, literature, lives of great men as three replacements for religion, for they all aim at stimulating human being’s soul. Emerson pays more attention to the relationship between literature and life, and relationship of the true, the good and the beautiful as shown in literature per se. Literature aims at expressing truth, and only one’s self can form such a concept and realize its full expression.Emerson thinks that the language of nature is the first and the last language, while language is a tool for self recognition. But literature can not be made by language itself or skills in form only. Writers should pay more attention to how to express or pass on truth. Emerson thinks that reading is a process of finding oneself. His viewpoints on reading and language can be found echoing with later theorists. “The Doctrine of the Life of Man established after the truth through all his faculties;--this is the thought which the literature of this hour meditates and labors to say.” The ultimate goal of studying literature is not to make oneself a literary man, but to understand oneself and the world, meanwhile clearly grasp oneself and persist on.Emerson is not satisfied with narrating chronologically the history of English literature, he tries to point out the nature, characteristics and aim of it. He holds the opinion that the reason d’etre of literature is to show the beauty of the world, and has little to do with nationalism, no matter English or American. But his attitudes towards American writers are much nicer than his comments on English or European writers. This is because he stands on the crossing of American literature’s growing up and trying to shake off English or European influence. His criticism towards Fuller, Thoreau or Whitman is more encouraging than criticizing, guiding rather than nitpicking. His influence on American literature can never be too much exaggerated.