Walden

1Walden,orLifeintheWoodsHenryDavidThoreauHenryDavidThoreau(1817-1862)点击添加标题点击添加标题点击添加标点击添加标题●anessayist;philosopher;poet●advocateofNewEnglandTranscendentalism●theanswertoEmerson’spleaforan“AmericanScholar”:lovingnature,breakingconvention,livinginnewways●theprophetofNon-ViolenceMovement●sagewriterandphilosopher●Hewishedtobeachanticleertowakethemupfromtheirspiritualslumbersandhelpmakethemintoanewgenerationofmen.Life•1817,Concord,Massachusetts,pencil-maker’sfamily•17-20,Harvard•20,friendshipwithEmerson,GraduatedfromHarvard,backtoConcord•21—24Unsuccessfulrunningofaprivateschool•24—26,Emerson’sstudentandhandyman•28—29cabinonWaldenPond(alittleover2years,7.4)•30—45,lackofanoccupation,nevermarried,livinginobscurity•45,death•aneccentricandaloaferinhistime•obscureinthewhole19thCentury,steadily-risingreputationin20thCenturyRelationswithEmerson•Emerson,agreatthinker.Thoreau,agreatexperimentalist●HemadefriendswithEmersonandembracedhisideas.In1845,withthepermissionofEmerson,hebuiltacabinonapieceofEmerson'spropertyonWaldenPond.●Theideawastomoveawayfromthematerialistic-orientedlifeandtoliveself-sufficiently.Hewasbynomeansarecluse,butintenselyinvolvedinthelifeofhisday.DuringhisstayinWalden,hewentbacktothevillageoccasionally.•Hewasoftencriticizedasnullifierofcivilization,evenEmerson'sspeechathisfuneralwasambivalent:Hehadmanyvirtuesbuthedidnotdojusticetohisowntalent,i.e.hewastedhislife.LiteraryWorks•CivilDisobedience/ResistancetoCivilGovernment(1849)reason:Hewasjailedforrefusingtopayapoll-taxof2dollars,laterwroteCivilDisobedienceadvocatingpassiveresistancetounjustlawsofsociety.(MahatmaGandhi)•AWeekontheConcordandMerrimackRivers(1849)•Walden,orLifeintheWoods(1854)Walden,orLifeintheWoods●oneofthebest-knownnon-fictionbookswrittenbyanAmerican.•aseriesof18essays•abookonself-cultureandhumanperfectibility•theimportanceofself-reliance,solitude,contemplation,andclosenesstonature•prophetofindividualisminAmericanliteratureStructure•Cycleoftheseasonsassymbolicdeathandrebirth•TherearenomajorcharactersinWaldenotherthanThoreau,whoisboththenarratorandthemainhumansubjectofhis.minorcharacters•JohnField-ApoorIrish-AmericanlaborerwholiveswithhiswifeandchildrenontheBakerFarmjustoutsideofConcord.ThoreauusesFieldasanexampleofan“honest,hard-working,butshiftlessman,”someonewhoisforcedtostruggleatagreatdisadvantageinlifebecausehelacksunusualnaturalabilitiesorsocialposition.•AlexTherien-AlaborerinhislatetwentieswhooftenworksinthevicinityofThoreau’sabode.ThoreaudescribesTherienas“aCanadian,awood-chopperandpost-maker,”assertingthatitwouldbedifficulttofindamoresimpleornaturalhuman.purposeThemesTheimportanceofself-relianceThevalueofsimplicityTheillusionofprogressTheclosenesstonatureintranscendingthedesperateexistencewritingstyle1.Useofmetaphors,punsandBiblical&mythologicalallusions•arichassociationisbroughtaboutinthereaders’mind•connotationofawritinggoesfarbeyondthewordsandsentences;e.g.Confuciussaystruly,Virtuedoesnotremainasanabandonedorphan;itmustofnecessityhaveneighbors.(P103)2.simplediction3.ironye.g.TheheadmonkeyatParisputsonatraveller'scap,andallthemonkeysinAmericadothesame.(P18)Onlytheywhogotosoireesandlegislativehallsmusthavenewcoats,coatstochangeasoftenasthemanchangesinthem.(P17)mainviews(1)thecorruptionofmaterialisticlife•“Wedonotrideontherailroad;itridesuponus.”•Ithascreatedpalaces,butitwasnotsoeasytocreatenoblemenandkings.Andifthecivilizedman'spursuitsarenoworthierthanthesavage's,ifheisemployedthegreaterpartofhislifeinobtaininggrossnecessariesandcomfortsmerely,whyshouldhehaveabetterdwellingthantheformer?(P25)•“Amanisrichinproportiontothenumberofthingswhichhecanaffordtoletalone.”•WeworshipnottheGraces,northeParcæ,butFashion.Shespinsandweavesandcutswithfullauthority.(P18)•Societyiscommonlytoocheap.(P104)mainviews(2)importanceofspiritualperfectionEmphasisontheinnervirtueandinward,spiritualgraceofman:•Thereisnoodorsobadasthatwhicharisesfromgoodness.(P57)•Wespendmoreonalmostanyarticleofbodilyailmentorailmentthanonourmentalailment.(P83)•Goodnessistheonlyinvestmentthatneverfails.(P167)•Nay,beaColumbustowholenewcontinentsandworldswithinyou,openingnewchannels,notoftrade,butofthought.EverymanisthelordofarealmbesidewhichtheearthlyempireoftheCzarisbutapettystate,ahummockleftbytheice.(P245)mainviews(3)optimism•Thoreau’scalmtrustinthefutureandhisardentbeliefinanewgenerationofmen:thebookconcludesonaclearnoteofoptimismandhope.•“Thelightwhichputsoutoureyesisdarknesstous.Onlythatdaydawnstowhichweareawake.Thereismoredaytodawn.Thesunisbutamorningstar.”mainviews(4)reverencetosimplelifeatherapyforthefatalmoderncrazeformonetarysuccessinthewakeofmodernmechanizationandcommercialization:•“Wedonotrideontherailroad;itridesuponus.”•menhavebecomethetoolsoftheirtools.(P28)•Yetmenhavecometosuchapassthattheyfrequentlystarve,notforwantofnecessaries,butforwantofluxuries.(P47)•Indeed,themoreyouhaveofsuchthingsthepooreryouare.(P50)•“Amanisrichinproportiontothenumberofthingswhichhecanaffordtoletalone.”(p63)mainviews(5)natureasahealthyinfluenceSawnatureasagenuinerestorative,healthy