Walden

on freedom and agency as much as nature

immensely quotable but still, somehow, boring.

** spoiler alert ** I sense a minimalistic approach and own less. Few great takes on solitude. I feel identified while living on a remote farm in the mountains for a few months, reboring my own past, living far away from civil life. Definitely living in isolation opens your mind to know a explore oneself closer. >putting all the puzzle pieces together, we realize that our primary need lies in keeping ourselves warm from the inside and outside. >To achieve your goals, you must ensure that you eat and sleep well and have a convenient place to live. >The problem of owning a house is that it ties a person to one place. Thoreau thought that when one purchased a property, they didn't become wealthier but poorer. >People who helped civilization develop lived in miserable conditions, which was far from being just. >The civilized man is a more experienced and wiser savage. >Thoreau thought that a person who bought a lot of furniture would be poorer than the individual who limited himself to a couple of items. >Try to buy bare essentials before you purchase your own house so that you can more easily move from one place to another. > Solitude can help to achieve certain goals faster >individual shouldn't conform to their friends' expectations. One needs to enjoy life relying on their genuine craving >If you wait for them, it might take a while before you can travel there. And it's no one's fault; each person lives at their own pace. > The philosopher's life close to nature evoked a poetic adoration of the beauty surrounding him. He considered himself living in a distant, almost inaccessible part of the universe, leaving his past as far behind as the Pleiades (a star cluster) is to the Earth. > To feel reborn every day, you can create a ritual of purification from the past. > The philosopher wanted to plunge into the core of life and deal with really important matters. Being surrounded by people frequently knocks down our true selves. Only by separating from the crowd can a person start examining oneself. Thoreau wanted to know whether life was mean or glorious in its root and experience this variety by himself. >The author thought that by living slower, people would feel life to its fullest. Liberation would come to those who cope calmly with the whirlpool of matters required to be done by society. > Reading a book is an intimate process because you spend time alone with the thoughts and feelings of the author. Books have always been valued because people could translate them into different languages and spread precious ideas all over the world. > The unusual circumstances make us see the usual things differently. > A person has to become autonomous to withstand the greatest challenges.

The philosophy is fine, and was plenty nutritious for me, as a teenager: "Think hard, go your own way, don't hurt animals." The nature worship is a red herring, though.

Not what I thought it would be, but interesting in some parts. I expected more of a criticism to society than details on his daily activities.

The first 30 pages were hella entertaining 19th C. Hot Takes™️ but then it quickly rounded a corner into snoozefest, from which it never emerged. This edition gets an extra star for the illustrations.

Walden is a different sort of book. I expected it to be more about the village and the wilderness than it was about politics and philosophy. I enjoyed many chapters in this book, but were I to re read it again I would definitely read those chapters only. Thoreau definitely excels in poetry and lyricism, his prose can be quite difficult to get through. All criticisms aside though, I would recommend Walden to anyone who wants an intellectual challenge 🙌🏻💛

I'm just gonna say it, I like Ralph Waldo Emerson's essays and poetry better. His writing is more refined and stylistically pleasing. Reading "Civil Disobedience" is like bachelorhood being shoved in your face. Thoreau clearly isn't speaking of a method of action that could ever be followed by the family-man or woman or young adult. I understand his ideology and thought-process, but it doesn't seem to include an ounce of practicality in it. Nonetheless, he's a good essayist who has respectable views and beliefs on important topics like slavery, military, war, government, society, voting, nonviolence, nature, individualism, religion, etc. Don't skim this if you have to read it for school. It's an invaluable asset to understanding and criticizing politics, religion, society and the U.S. government.

I read this because it was a classic literature selection and it was on my list for along time. I read it in short spurts and some of it was interesting and introspective and some parts were too much detail. However, I am glad I read it.

Eine wirklich lange Geschichte nur über das Leben im Wald. Unglaublich in wie vielen Details er den Wald beschreibt.

3.75

He has a great writing style, but I just didn't really get into it.

Há anos que leio referências a “Walden” que leio reverências a Thoreau, e agora que aqui chego e leio a obra em si, surpreendo-me sobremodo com o que encontro. Não vinha à espera de nada em particular, apenas talvez o reconhecimento da natureza, o reconhecimento de uma vida enriquecida pela simplicidade dessa natureza, contudo encontrei tudo menos isso. Antes que possam dizer que passei ao lado da essência, li sobre a obra, sobre o autor, sobre a sua proximidade com Ralph Waldo Emerson e em particular sobre a corrente filosófica que ambos procuram defender e fazer avançar, o transcendentalismo. Tanto que quase poderia desculpar a má impressão criada pela obra com base nessa corrente. Mas sendo o transcendentalismo proposto por estes, é sobre estes que nos devemos pronunciar. Diga-se que a minha visão crítica desta obra não é uma raridade, o livro tem sido imensamente criticado desde que foi publicado. E ainda em 2015 a New Yorker publicou um extenso texto a tentar explicar o que há de errado com o livro, acertando, na minha opinião, em muitos dos problemas do texto, nomeadamente dos valores defendidos no mesmo. Começando pelo único ponto positivo, a premissa. “Walden” tem uma premissa atrativa, alguém que se cansou de viver a vida desenfreada em sociedade e decide retirar-se para o meio da floresta, viver isolado e sozinho, apenas com a natureza, dependendo desta para sobreviver, evitando qualquer contato ou dependência de outros humanos. A atratividade desta ideia assenta na tentativa de se chegar à essência do que somos, do que nos define, de nos encontrarmos sem depender tanto dos espelhos que são os nossos pares. Assim como da separação da materialidade, da recusa da dependência dessa, vivendo o mais natural possível, objetivando voltar ao estado mais natural possível. Contendo algo de positivo, visto pelos olhos de Thoreau tudo isto se transforma no seu oposto. Ou seja, Thoreau assume esta visão de modo extremista, radicalizando completamente a sua posição e a do mundo que o rodeia. O discurso segue atacando todos os que o rodeiam, separando-se deles, assumindo-se como o único ser que importa à face da terra. Autocentrado, inicia uma aventura tresloucada para quem nada já faz sentido desde o próprio ato de comer e beber à educação ou trabalho. O idealismo segue atrás da frugalidade e austeridade total, em nome de não se sabe o quê. Tudo isto está em parte na base do tal transcendentalismo, o ir além daquilo que somos pela supressão das necessidades, nomeadamente das do corpo, visto como mero envelope de uma alma que se quer pura. Não fosse todo o discurso de Thoreau pontuado por toda uma arrogância, pedantismo e orgulho e talvez se pudesse aceitar. O primeiro capítulo, o maior do livro e dedicado à economia, ou modo como sobreviver em termos financeiros, é de uma sobranceira impressionante. Thoreau, filho de industriais, educado em Harvard, apresenta-se como especialista em matéria de sobrevivência, desdenhando do conhecimento e das imensas dificuldades que sofrem quem habita e vive apenas daquilo que a terra oferece, acabando por sobreviver ele próprio muito à custa das ajudas de todas essas pessoas. Um discurso típico de quem alimenta ideias, sem nunca ter de verdadeiramente que se suportar nelas. Isto é algo a que ainda hoje podemos assistir, a idealização do regresso à terra e à agricultura, como se essas vidas pudessem ser vividas apenas aos sábados com sol, esquecendo toda a dureza das condições de quem faz disso vida. Este transcendentalismo tem algumas relações com o hinduísmo, contudo torna-se inaceitável quando filtrado por uma enorme falta de humildade. A visão critica dos outros torna inaceitável tudo o que tenha para nos dizer. Tudo se torna ainda mais ridículo quando nada do que se vai dizendo assenta em qualquer trabalho de análise metódico, já para não referir científico já que nem sequer religioso, mas apenas e só individual e subjetivo. Se muitos optam por ver nesta abordagem de Thoreau, o rechaçar de tudo e todos, um ideal de desobediência, eu vejo antes um ideal de arrogância. Eu vejo a antítese da célebre frase de John Donne “Nenhum homem é uma ilha”. Por fim, apesar de escrito de modo bastante eloquente, o discurso está carregado de metáforas simbólicas que conduzem o texto muitas vezes a fugir da prosa para um registo mais poético. Esta forma não advém das competências estilísticas do autor, mas antes das raízes das formas românticas que permearam muito do que definiria o transcendentalismo. Contudo não é em si um texto de grande beleza, menos ainda quando dotado de um conteúdo assente no idealismo e egoísmo de Thoreau. Publicado no VI: https://virtual-illusion.blogspot.pt/...

Thoreau sa rozhodol stráviť dva roky pri jazere Walden v absolútnom súznení s prírodou. V knihe krásne a detailne opisuje okolie svojho príbytku počas striedajúcich sa ročných období, prezrádza praktické informácie k prežitu v divočine a prelína ich prúdmi filozofických myšlienok o vzťahu človeka k prírode, k spoločnosti a k samému sebe. Toto nadčasové dielo odporúčam každému, kto hľadá vytrhnutie z konzumného života a inšpiráciu pre jeho zmenu. <3

Henry David Thoreau is considered by many to be the environmental father of the green movement. As a teacher, scientist, historian, student, author, and naturalist, Thoreau has made a number of contributions to the ecological movement, his most significant including his own personal published reflections on conservation and his search for the meaning of life through the relationship he had with nature. His published works have “helped to launch the American environmental movement that continues to this day,” (Weiner, 30) and understanding Thoreau is key to conservation efforts today. Thoreau offers counsel and example exactly suited for our perilous moment in time: By studying Thoreau and putting his ideals into practice, we can overcome the challenges facing the modern environment. Henry David Thoreau, disciple of Ralph Waldo Emerson, sought isolation and nearness to nature. In his writings he suggests that all living things have rights that humans should recognize, implying that we have a responsibility to respect and care for nature rather than destroying it. Thoreau proclaims, “Every creature is better alive than dead, men moose and pine-trees, and he who understands it aright will rather preserve its life than destroy it” (Neimark, 94). Centuries of farming, logging, mining, dam building, and rapid population growth have created a serious ecological crisis. Pollution, overpopulation, and deforestation are just a few of the consequences -- and they are killing our environment. It is important that humanity transcends it’s centrism and works together to save our environment here on Earth. The Earth is our habitat, our surroundings, everything we interact with. It is home to more than just people - it is home to plants, animals, and microscopic organisms alike, all of which the human race relies on for survival. Associated with the transcendentalists, Thoreau uses nature to understand the meaning of the soul. Seeking experience, Thoreau uses nature as a tool for learning, making the wilderness his role model and reference point. The language Thoreau chooses creates a comparison between apples and the divine, appealing simultaneously to transcendentalist and religious beliefs. In “Wild Apples” Thoreau reflects on the ethereal quality of apples “which represents their highest value, and which cannot be vulgarized, bought and sold.” (Westling, 141) Similarly, in “Solitude” Thoreau reminds us that one is never alone in solitude with nature, praising the benefits of nature and his deep communion with it. Transcendentalism of the nineteenth century taught that divinity pervades all nature and humanity; transcendentalism attempts to raise awareness about the existence of nature and the spirituality that pervades in nature, and therefore, the spirituality and nature that exists within the self. Transcendentalism implies movement: an intellectual and spiritual wakening, a rise in consciousness, a transcendence of one’s boundaries. Among the transcendentalists' core beliefs was the inherent goodness of both people and nature. They believed that society and its institutions (eg. organized religion or political parties) ultimately corrupt the purity of the individual. They have faith that people are at their best when truly "self-reliant" and independent. "Self-reliance" refers mainly to an intellectual independence that makes one capable of generating completely original insights with as little deference paid to past masters as possible. Emerson’s essay “Self-Reliance” promotes self-reliance as an ideal, even a virtue. Frustrated with society, he turned “more exclusively than ever to the woods, where I was better known” (Thoreau, 17). Thoreau implies that a of solitude and distance from our neighbors may actually improve our relations with them, but by moving away from town entirely we liberate ourselves from our slavish adherence to society. Self-reliance suggests that we are influenced by our surroundings; therefore, the essential aspect of the person is found in solitude, devoid of outside societal influences. Influenced by Emerson, Thoreau’s selected essays in Walden leads readers through a self-reliant existence, lived in balance with nature and the individual self. In “Where I Lived and What I Lived For” Thoreau asserts his decision to “live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived” (Thoreau, 85). His record of what it means to live a humble, simple existence present a contemporary model for living. Thoreau’s Walden promotes a philosophy of simplicity derived from Emerson’s philosophy of “self-reliance” that could inspire people to live in better connection with nature and, if followed, that could help to save our planet. It is imperative for people to form an individual bond with nature in order have respect and love for their environment. We must put Thoreau’s ideals into action in order to understand his message better. Thoreau’s experience at Walden Pond fostered his love for nature and reaffirmed the importance of preserving the wilderness and furthermore living in harmony with nature. His later essays reiterate and reinforce Walden, drawing inspiration from experience. Thoreau continues to inspire environmentalists who study his principles in an effort to change our current relation to the planet. In modernity, people have shaped nature to fit human environments, which has created an interplay between technological advances and pure nature itself. By studying the writings of Thoreau, we can begin to understand nature and furthermore work in conjunction with nature, rather than in opposition to nature. His writings about the “importance of leaving nature undisturbed, the need for all humans to have contact with nature, and the relationship between humans and other living things” (Neimark, 94) advocates for people to get away from urban, industrialized areas. According to Thoreau, “modern life, whether in the nineteenth or twenty-first century, robs people of their best selves, and strong medicine is needed to restore that sense of individualism” (Weiner, 11). Like his mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson, Thoreau not only acknowledges the benefits of humans coexisting with nature. but believes that living in harmony with nature is essential. Truthfully, the human condition requires some degree of disconnect from the natural world in order to survive in a livable environment, but as humans we have the capacity to form a relationship between the two opposing ideas of human nature and the natural world. The problem in modern society is rooted in the disconnection people have to the natural world. Population growth, increasing pollution, and deforestation are serious problems facing the world today. By studying Thoreau and putting his principles into practice, we could get much closer to reaching equilibrium between humankind and our environment. The dictionary defines nature not only as “the material world, especially as surrounding humankind and existing independently of human activities,” but also as “the phenomena of the physical world collectively, including plants, animals, the landscape, and other features and products of the earth, as opposed to humans or human creations.” In other words, nature is everything. Nature is the universe as a whole, in its entirety; to be a human is to be a spiritual being having a human experience. To be human is to be a small part of nature itself -- everything and everyone contribute to the never-ending cycle of life and energy that ultimately makes up the universe (nature). The universe itself and everything it is comprised of, from the smallest grain of sand to the wide expanse of space and each and every human in between, can be considered nature. As humans, we tend to separate nature in our minds, creating some distinction between the outside world and our inner worlds. Human nature has always been inherently disconnected with nature in this sense: we form communities for protection, shelter from the elements, and to share our emotions and experiences. There is a fear embedded deep into the human consciousness -- a fear of nature and an inherent need to establish a boundary between the self and nature. Thoreau, inspired by Ralph Waldo Emerson, attempts to deconstruct this stigma in an effort to influence people to be “self-reliant,” to embrace their connection to nature, and to create harmony between the outside and inner worlds. Throughout the collected essays in Walden, Thoreau invites us to find a sense of meaning, direction and purpose in life through immediate contact with nature. Modern ecologists acknowledge the critical need to recognize and address the spiritual dynamics that exist at the root of environmental degradation. In order to resolve issues such as species depletion, global warming, over-consumption, humanity must examine and reassess our relationship to nature and furthermore our responsibility to this planet. The works of Thoreau present us with a social mandate that demands the readership to consider their own relationship with nature and attempts to persuade readers to foster a harmonious balance. Throughout his works, Thoreau questions his audience, encouraging existential thought and consideration. His methodical questioning forces readers to be introspective and discerning, encouraging and ethical approach to ones engagement with nature. Thoreau has helped readers began to recognize the need for environmental conservation. Of course, Thoreau could never have predicted the severe degree of degradation that our environment currently faces. He preceded his time, thankfully, and has left behind his legacy for us to study as a guide for how to approach environmental conservation. Thoreau’s essay “Walking” aims to identify the importance of engagement with Nature, claiming that “in Wildness is the preservation of the world” (Westling, 4). We need to sustain the vital resources that can only be found of the Earth in order to secure our own survival. Humans depend on trees to produce oxygen and clean rainwater to grow healthy food; if our atmosphere gets too polluted, clean air to breathe and food to eat will be seriously threatened. We need to care for the Earth in order to preserve it and us. Thoreau advocates the “need to get away from urban, industrialized areas” (Neimark, 79), sensing the danger associated with urbanization. Crowded cities contribute to overpopulation, which facilitates overconsumption and pollution. Because we have too many people to feed, we deplete natural resources (like fields for farming), which forces factories to work harder and therefore pollute more. It is a vicious cycle that only creates more problems. In order to save our environment, we must return to wildness as Thoreau suggests. Thoreau sounded the call for environmental awareness and helped launch a movement that has continued to this day. Twenty-first century environmental issues can be resolved by paying more attention to Thoreau’s practical nineteenth century methodology. Pollution, overpopulation, and deforestation are just a few of the serious issues contributing to the current ecological crisis. Despite the severe amount of degradation that the Earth has suffered in the name of “progress” the works of Thoreau present us with a social mandate that demands the audience to consider their own relationship with nature and attempts to persuade readers to foster a harmonious balance with their environment. By studying Thoreau and putting his ideals into practice, we can overcome the challenges facing the modern environment. References: "Nature" Def. 1-7. Merriam Webster Online, Merriam Webster, n.d. Web. 18 Oct. 2015. Neimark, Peninah, and Peter Rhoades Mott. The Environmental Debate: A documentary history. Westport: Greenwood Press, 1999. Print. Thoreau, Henry D. Walden. Boston: Beacon Press, 1854. Print. Weiner, Gary. Social Issues in Literature: The Environment in Henry David Thoreau's Walden. Farmington Hills: Greenhaven Press, Gale Cengage Learning, 2010. Print. Westling, Louise, ed. Literature and the Environment. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2014. Print.

Read it while in college and loved it.

Read it for school, but i really liked the s discussions we had about this book

Graphic format of quotes by Thoreau

Art

Thoreau has a lot of great zingers, and I like his views on economy and nature... but his transcendentalism is bogus. His worship of nature and solitude reaches for a depth of community with the natural world and self that is actually much better achieved by writers like Dillard and Chesterton, who understood our relationship with nature and ourselves to have an intrinsically tragic element, and therefore to be only obliquely possible. Thoreau didn't seem to understand this well except through a strikingly materialistic lense; as a result, he just sounds silly some of the time. That being said, there were some great bits in this book, especially regarding economy of living. Favorite quotes (there were over 30 I highlighted, but here are a few) "Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at; as railroads lead to Boston or New York. We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate." "A lady once offered me a mat, but as I had no room to spare within the house, nor time to spare within or without to shake it, I declined it, preferring to wipe my feet on the sod before my door. It is best to avoid the beginnings of evil." "If we do not get out sleepers, and forge rails, and devote days and nights to the work, but go to tinkering upon our lives to improve them , who will build railroads? And if railroads are not built, how shall we get to heaven in season? But if we stay at home and mind our business, who will want railroads? We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us." " I heard a robin in the distance, the first I had heard for many a thousand years, methought, whose note I shall not forget for many a thousand more—the same sweet and powerful song as of yore. O the evening robin, at the end of a New England summer day! If I could ever find the twig he sits upon! I mean he ; I mean the twig . This at least is not the Turdus migratorius." "I would rather sit on a pumpkin and have it all to myself than be crowded on a velvet cushion."

I can sum the book up in one word: "pompous." Throughout this book it is patently obvious that Thoreau thinks quite a lot of himself, his ideas and his little pond. The narrative meanders with no constructive purpose. The reader is hard pressed to discern a purpose for the book much less the supporting points for that purpose. This is one of those well-known classics to which I pose the following question. How on earth did this become a classic. I finish the book thinking "why bother?" That's not much of a recommendation. If one is motivated to read the classics, this is a must even if I believe it to be a chore. Other than that, I absolutely do not recommend the book.

A forever book. One that is as powerful today as it was when he wrote it, and probably more so. A beautiful accounting of two years spent living at Walden Pond and an extensive meditation on the wisdom of Nature and all that man could learn from her. A strong questioning of the ordering principles of society and an urging for people to awaken from them and ask themselves what is truly important? What is truly enough? If most books are appetizers, this is a three course meal to be savored repeatedly.

Author is such a prick. I would not like to meet him. Boring book. Maybe if you have not been outside for a few years and long for nature. Still should be better to take a walk in a forest than read this.

I started this book with lots of hope and a very positive attitude. I really wanted to love it. The fact that I stuck with it to the halfway mark is a testament to Henry David Thoreau. I consider him a kindred spirit...we share a mad love of nature, we are staunchly anti-materialistic, and we are both socially capable introverts. But, good lord this book was as dry as the paint on a wall that I watched dry. If you think I got bored reading ramblings about nature, you’d be wrong. HDT barely touches on it in the whole first half. The title of Chapter 1 is “Economics”...nuff said. My frustration level would be much lower if not for the fact that I completely related and agreed with the substance of what he was saying. Maybe a little bit to ease my guilt at having given up on Walden, but mostly because I’d much rather talk with him than read him, I’ve officially added HDT to my “If You Could Invite Anyone to Dinner” list. I may try to read this again someday...or I may not. Only time will tell.