Well, I have to agree with you about Emerson. I took a graduate seminar at Harvard on the American Renaissance with a famous visiting scholar. As it turned out, there were only two of us in the class, which was a kind of tutorial.
Anyway, it was supposed to be on Melville, Hawthorne, Thoreau, Whitman, and Emerson, but the other student and I revolted and said we'd gladly read more of the others but we drew the line at Emerson! Fortunately the professor agreed. Emerson was a major influence on our country, but mostly malign, IMHO. He reminds me of everything about Harvard that I like least.
I like old Bronson Alcott better. Crazy as a hoot owl, but much less stuck on himself than Ralph Waldo. Still glad I didn't have to rely on him for my daily bread, though -- a slender reed. Poor Louisa!