Hardcover, 360 pages
English language
Published Aug. 9, 2004 by Collector's Library.
Henry David Thoreau is considered, along with Edgar Allan Poe, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Walt Whitman and Nathaniel Hawthorne, as one of the leading figures in early American literature, and Walden is without doubt his most influential book. It recounts the author's experiences living in a small house in the woods around Walden Pond near Concord in Massachusetts. Thoreau constructed the house himself, with the help of a few friends, and one of the reasons why he moved into it was in an attempt to see if he could live independently and away from society. The result is an intriguing work that blends natural history with philosophical insights and includes many illuminating quotations from other authors. Thoreau's wooden shack has won a place for itself in the collective American psyche, a remarkable achievement for a book with such modest and rustic beginnings.
It's highly acclaimed, but I don't get it... the language is not that simple to follow. Which makes me not want to read it.
The emotions while I read this book were bouncing around the room.
One chapter has me yelling in agreement with Thoreau on his pro-animal stances toward hunting and dieting. The next on minimalism - inspiring me to gather more things I no longer need to donate. The next makes me put the book down to be high on nature. The next makes me rethink civil obedience and give up all I’m doing to commit to being my truest self with no external influences.
No review I am able to give can properly outline how impactful this book has been on the way I see the world. The philosophies are still ever true today, and Thoreau’s definition of “dull man” still appears to be the overwhelming majority of society today - all busy slaving away for the objects and powers that only serve to trap and control them.
Excellent read, all …
The emotions while I read this book were bouncing around the room.
One chapter has me yelling in agreement with Thoreau on his pro-animal stances toward hunting and dieting. The next on minimalism - inspiring me to gather more things I no longer need to donate. The next makes me put the book down to be high on nature. The next makes me rethink civil obedience and give up all I’m doing to commit to being my truest self with no external influences.
No review I am able to give can properly outline how impactful this book has been on the way I see the world. The philosophies are still ever true today, and Thoreau’s definition of “dull man” still appears to be the overwhelming majority of society today - all busy slaving away for the objects and powers that only serve to trap and control them.
Excellent read, all should read.
Warning: Definitely on the more difficult side. Though not unattainable.
In Thoreau's most famous book, he creates a space to view the world by moving away from what is accepted as society. For three years he lived in a cabin in Walden, and stripped his life back to essentials, learning to love the world he inhabited.
He shows with a flair for poetry and vocabulary how the local and global can be mingled together, nearly a hundred years before the word 'globalisation' was first used. His interest in philosophical reading stretches across the world, while his interest in experience of the world is limited to a small area. His wry humour and versatile use of the English language makes this not only an enjoyable philosophical text, but also a very enjoyable book overall.
Smart guy gives thoughts on society while in nature.
Having the right expectations before reading Walden helps a lot. I detested it in English class, especially when I learned that Thoreau went into town every other day (mentioned in the book) and was frequently visited by his family with food or went to visit them (not mentioned in the book). While living at Walden he was still more social than the average homebody today. He talks about people more than nature. But my second readthrough—with different expectations—was more enjoyable.
I was relieved to find the literature still met my high standards when Thoreau calls a farmer a skin-flint and describes a baby as a “wrinkled, sibyl-like, cone-headed infant”. Personally, many passages are ok and some, like Thoreau’s view on mornings, reading, and his local town are excellent. Civil Disobedience (22 pages) is a 5/5 and worth rereading periodically. Thoreau’s intelligence …
Smart guy gives thoughts on society while in nature.
Having the right expectations before reading Walden helps a lot. I detested it in English class, especially when I learned that Thoreau went into town every other day (mentioned in the book) and was frequently visited by his family with food or went to visit them (not mentioned in the book). While living at Walden he was still more social than the average homebody today. He talks about people more than nature. But my second readthrough—with different expectations—was more enjoyable.
I was relieved to find the literature still met my high standards when Thoreau calls a farmer a skin-flint and describes a baby as a “wrinkled, sibyl-like, cone-headed infant”. Personally, many passages are ok and some, like Thoreau’s view on mornings, reading, and his local town are excellent. Civil Disobedience (22 pages) is a 5/5 and worth rereading periodically. Thoreau’s intelligence is showcased in this edition's footnotes, which expand on his constant word-play and references to historical figures, literature, religions, mythologies, languages, etc.
Walden is a bit of an odd book. There isn't really any sort of plot behind it, it's not really biographical, it's not prescriptive, and honestly it's hard to say there's much of a point. It's just Thoreau writing some bits and pieces about how he lived out at Walden pond for a couple years. Some people seem to describe it as dull or repetitive, but I don't find it at all either of those things. There's a simplicity to both the way Thoreau writes and the way Thoreau lived out at Walden that evokes a quiet beauty, where the mundane really jumps out at you as significant and the complications of life seem to melt away with spring's warmth.
My only complaint is that when Thoreau puts on the hat of a naturalist and starts talking about the various species of birds and such in the area, I can't …
Walden is a bit of an odd book. There isn't really any sort of plot behind it, it's not really biographical, it's not prescriptive, and honestly it's hard to say there's much of a point. It's just Thoreau writing some bits and pieces about how he lived out at Walden pond for a couple years. Some people seem to describe it as dull or repetitive, but I don't find it at all either of those things. There's a simplicity to both the way Thoreau writes and the way Thoreau lived out at Walden that evokes a quiet beauty, where the mundane really jumps out at you as significant and the complications of life seem to melt away with spring's warmth.
My only complaint is that when Thoreau puts on the hat of a naturalist and starts talking about the various species of birds and such in the area, I can't say that it's particularly engaging. He does this now and then, and it's not exactly uninteresting, but at the very least it feels like a tangent I can't wait for him to get off of. Still, this is a minor mark against an overall great read.
I don't think there's much that needs to be said about the book. If the content sounds interesting to you, you need to read it. It really is fantastic to see the mindset of someone who simplified almost everything out of their life and simply engaged with nature all day. If it sounds a bit pointless, you probably won't change your mind. Thoreau makes no real effort to convince you this is the right way to live your life, simply that it's a way he was able to live for a couple years before he decided to move on to the next thing. He simply writes his experience, and it's either interesting to you or it isn't.
Didn't finish it. He seemed rather pretentious and judgmental. Perhaps I'll try again later.
Dear Henry,
I'm so sorry, but your book was not what I was hoping for. I thought it would be a story of survival, of reflection, of getting back to nature. There was a little of the reflection and nature, to be sure. But seriously, Thoreau, you were right outside of town. You were near the railroad tracks. You were BORROWING someone's land. Not exactly roughing it, were you? You entertained friends and really didn't get away from it all like you seemed to think.
I don't think it was you, friend. I think it was me. I went in with high expectations, and came away underwhelmed. No hard feelings?
Thoreau chose to live deliberately and to observe life from a fresh perspective, as though no one had ever done so before. The result was a high quality of intimate thought, written for both the reader's challenge and enjoyment. In order to get the most from Walden, it is necessary to slow down and read deliberately. Thoreau carefully studied varied aspects of the natural world, reminding us how interesting everything is and how each moment of our lives can be full of discovery and wonder.
