Like (3)Walter Harding (1917-1996)January 3, 2014 at 5:18 pm
Posted in: Panel of Experts
[WALDEN; OR, LIFE IN THE WOODS]
Although the first edition gives the title Walden; or, Life in the Woods, on March 4, 1862, two months before he died, T wrote to his publishers, Ticknor & Fields, asking them to omit the subtitle in a new edition. They complied with this request, although it has rarely been followed since. Paul (75) suggests that T may have dropped the subtitle because he feared his audience was taking it too literally and thus missing the more important philosophy permeating the book. T could have derived the subtitle from his friend Charles Lane’s essay “Life in the Woods” in the Dial (IV, 1844, 415) or from John S. Williams, “Our Cabin; or, Life in the Woods” in the October 1843 American Pioneer (DeMott), but not from the then popularThe Adirondack; or Life in the Woods, by J.T. Headley (New York, 1849), which did not appear until after T had used the subtitle in an advertisem*nt for W in the back pages of the first edition ofA Week.For a comprehensive study of the types of books on which T based the structure of W, see Linck Johnson. For a discussion of the organic structure of W, see Lane (1960). Kurtz is one o the most straightforward analyses of W’s style.
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Like (1)Keith BadgerDecember 17, 2014 at 4:55 pm
Posted in: General Discussion
Is there any possibility of Thoreau borrowing from the Christian tradition and positing “the woods” as a corollary of “wilderness”, where the demons (in us) are often portrayed and living? To reach one’s “higher self”, one must wake up inwardly to those elements that lead the soul (psychological and emotional state) astray.
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Like (1)Mark GallagherFebruary 17, 2019 at 5:50 pm
Posted in: Panel of Experts
In his new book, Cryptic Subtexts in Literature and Film: Secret Messages and Buried Treasure (New York: Routledge, 2019), Steven F. Walker offers a new interpretation of Walden’s 1854 subtitle, “Life in the Woods.” It is well known that that subtitle was hardly original, having appeared in several publications prior to the publication of Walden, including an article of that name by Charles Lane which appears in the final issue of The Dial. Walker grants that Thoreau may have used the title “ironically,” that is, “as a vigorous rejoinder to the thesis of Lane’s Dial essay” (13). More intriguing, however, is Walker’s argument that Thoreau may have associated “life in the woods” with a phase of life known in Hindu as “vanaprastha” (literally translated as “life in the woods”)—“the third stage of life—that of the solitary, contemplative hermit living in the forest on the outskirts of the village—as described in The Laws of Manu” (14) which Thoreau read in Emerson’s library in 1840. “Such a new framing,” Walker says, “certainly provides a new perspective on Thoreau’s life-in-the-woods enterprise, which, for all its Yankee originality, also can be seen as a spiritual retreat based on an ancient Hindu paradigm of the stages of life” (16).
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Like (0)Caroline CrimminsFebruary 12, 2020 at 12:53 pm
Posted in: General Discussion
Caroline Crimmins
Paragraph 1: Last semester I took Professor Cooper’s English 368 Connections in Recent Literature: Unplugged and ParaDigitial class and examined the relationship between books and technology. On the first day of class, we talked about how Thoreau was actually much closer to civilization than it seems in his writing. Although I cannot find the original map that I saw on my first day of class, this map also demonstrates that even though Thoreau was somewhat “tucked away” he was still decently close to civilization. He talks about occasionally catching people off the train to hear the town’s gossip, something he cannot resist. He also mentions occasionally wandering into town for the human connection that he sometimes yearned for. I believe that this is an interesting point to bring into his first chapter “Economy” because he talks to the reader about how he builds his own house that is meant to be so distant from society but in reality it is quite the opposite. This relates strongly to technology today because even people that claim they want to be distant from the innovations we are creating as a society are still somehow connected to technology in some way. Technology has a huge influence on our society and there is almost no way of having total seclusion from the world or from the devices we have invented and are still working on today.
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FAQs
He states his purpose in going to Walden: to live deliberately, to confront the essentials, and to extract the meaning of life as it is, good or bad. He exhorts his readers to simplify, and points out our reluctance to alter the course of our lives.
Which are the four things one needs only according to Thoreau's Walden? ›
Thoreau identifies only four necessities: food, shelter, clothing, and fuel. Since nature itself does much to provide these, a person willing to accept the basic gifts of nature can live off the land with minimal toil.
What was Henry David Thoreau's book Walden about quizlet? ›
The work describes Thoreau's thoughts over the course of a year spent immersed in the natural world.
What is the full quote of Lives of Quiet Desperation? ›
“The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation. From the desperate city you go into the desperate country, and have to console yourself with the bravery of minks and muskrats.
What is the main idea of the Walden by Henry David Thoreau? ›
What is the main idea of Walden by Henry David Thoreau? The main idea of "Walden" by Henry David Thoreau is to find the meaning of life. He set out to contemplate life and himself and to find out man's role in the world.
What is Thoreau's central message in Walden? ›
Thoreau's central message in Walden is to live simply, independently, and wisely. He suggests that people try to live free and uncommitted, away from things that overcomplicate life such as exchange economy and modern labor. He also emphasizes the importance of engaging with Nature as closely and directly as possible.
What is Thoreau's main point? ›
Thoreau argued that the government must end its unjust actions to earn the right to collect taxes from its citizens. As long as the government commits unjust actions, he continued, conscientious individuals must choose whether to pay their taxes or to refuse to pay them and defy the government.
What does Walden say about life? ›
Things do not change; we change. The cost of a thing is the amount of what I will call life which is required to be exchanged for it, immediately or in the long run.
What does Thoreau argue in Walden? ›
“Walden”Thoreau by was published around 1854, during the reign of the transcendentalism.In order to prove his claims, he "went into the woods" and lived as simply and as inexpensively as he encouraged others to do.In “Walden”, Thoreaus argument is that people with complex and unhappy lives should live more simple lives ...
What did Thoreau learn from Walden? ›
Answer and Explanation: Henry David Thoreau's experience at Walden Pond taught him that there are only four necessities for him: food, shelter, clothing, and fuel.
Thoreau used his time at Walden Pond (July 4, 1845 – September 6, 1847) to write his first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849). The experience later inspired Walden, in which Thoreau compresses the time into a single calendar year and uses passages of four seasons to symbolize human development.
What did Thoreau hope to achieve by living at Walden Pool? ›
For two years, beginning in 1845, writer and transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau lived on the shores of Walden Pond. The purpose was to acquire a better appreciation of nature and find an escape from the surrounding world. He chronicled his experience in the book Walden; Or, Life in the Woods.
What are the four necessities of life according to Thoreau in Walden? ›
In "Economy," he discusses the physical necessities of life — food, shelter, clothing, and fuel. Until these needs are met, a person cannot rise above them.
How to stop living a life of quiet desperation? ›
By being fully present in the moment and mindful of your actions, you can appreciate the richness of life that might otherwise go unnoticed. This heightened awareness leads to a deeper appreciation of life's experiences, large and small, steering you away from the unfulfilled longing that defines quiet desperation.
What do most men live lives of quiet desperation? ›
One day, I came across the lines of Transcendentalist philosopher Henry David Thoreau. “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation,” he wrote in Walden in 1854. Thoreau's writing—a reflection on human nature's tendency to reside in a “quiet desperation”—helped me to pinpoint my own misgivings about my professional path.
What was the purpose of Thoreau's stay at Walden Pond? ›
He explains that he wanted to live a simpler life, connect with nature, spend time in solitude, and carve out his own path. Read more to learn about the four ideas that motivated Thoreau to move out of Concord and into a tiny cabin on Walden Pond.
What was the goal of Thoreau's experiment in Walden? ›
Thoreau lived at the pond for two years, two months and two days. His idea was to conduct an experiment in simple living, to lead a life according to nature and to determine the real necessities of life.
Why did Thoreau go to Walden Why did he leave? ›
In discovering his connection with nature and refusing the quest for outward success, Thoreau connects transcendentally to the concept of self-reliance and minimizes his lifestyle and needs. Ultimately, he chooses to leave Walden Pond, stating: I left the woods for as good a reason as I went there.
What was Thoreau's overall goal by living at Walden Pond? ›
For two years, beginning in 1845, writer and transcendentalist Henry David Thoreau lived on the shores of Walden Pond. The purpose was to acquire a better appreciation of nature and find an escape from the surrounding world. He chronicled his experience in the book Walden; Or, Life in the Woods.
