Walden when was it written

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Two-thirds of the Roman army, including Emperor Valens himself, were overrun and In accordance with his statement of resignation the previous evening, Richard M. Nixon officially ends his term as the 37th president of the United States at noon on August 9, Before departing with his family in a helicopter from the White House lawn, he smiled farewell and Sign up now to learn about This Day in History straight from your inbox.

His writing style was not easy to follow as he bewilderingly blended verbose nature writing with mathematical figures and preachy ideals in difficult prose. I could not tell you what most of the essays contained as I had trouble focusing and wasn't motivated to concentrate.

Perhaps I'll get more out of this one day, but for now Thoreau and I are not friends. Oct 11, Michael Finocchiaro rated it it was amazing Shelves: americanth-c , political-theory , classics , novels , philosophy.

This utopian text by Thoreau is absolutely beautiful and something to read when you are in those sloughs of life. It will pick you up and transport you as if you, as I have done, were standing on the edge of Walden Pond near Concord, Mass and observing its beautiful circular shape before wading in and swimming across this natural monument saved from developers in the 90s by a group of environmentalists including Robbie Robertson if memory serves.

The prose is limpid and perfectly balanced an This utopian text by Thoreau is absolutely beautiful and something to read when you are in those sloughs of life. The prose is limpid and perfectly balanced and you really do feel like dropping your iPhone in the toilet and selling all your possessions to live in a cabin It is a breath of fresh air and remains an classic. View all 5 comments. Indeed, for two years, he lived isolated in a cabin near Walden Pond, to detach himself from material goods and have only the essentials for human life - namely food, shelter, clothes and heat.

The story combines very concrete descriptions of his life in Walden construction of his hut, planting of his field of beans I really liked this reading, which I found quite accessible for a philosophy book. I was sensitive to many ideas developed by Thoreau, particularly those on Nature that is very current: it is not for nothing that Thoreau is considered a pioneer of ecology!

Mar 07, Mister Jones rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Mature, open minded readers. The very first time I read Walden my immediate response was to begin torching its pages one by one and sacrificing each page as literary cow paddies written by a pompous celibate pretentious boob who masqueraded as self-appointed demigogue for the collective conscience of the gods; and of course, when read this way it certainly fits at times Thoreau's rhetoric.

Many years later, I took my paperback copy off my shelf and was ready to pack it up to be dropped off at the nearest thrift shop, but the The very first time I read Walden my immediate response was to begin torching its pages one by one and sacrificing each page as literary cow paddies written by a pompous celibate pretentious boob who masqueraded as self-appointed demigogue for the collective conscience of the gods; and of course, when read this way it certainly fits at times Thoreau's rhetoric.

Many years later, I took my paperback copy off my shelf and was ready to pack it up to be dropped off at the nearest thrift shop, but then as I sat on my floor with my fat old textbooks and other worn clothing ready for donation.

I begin reading Walden again, and there's just something about it that resonates from another time, another place, and another writer. Thoreau's conceit can certainly be provocative, but I think he wants that to be exactly the case for his readers; he's mourning the interaction of souls as modernity encroaches upon both the physical landscape and the landscape of the mind. Living in the woods, facing himself and nature on a equal foothold can be a daunting task, but Thoreau writes about it and makes it so much a part of himself.

He wants to be heard within the deepest regions of our souls. Walden is a spiritual work about our world and ourselves, and our failure to connect the two. At least Thoreau tried, and Walden shines in that attempt. If I hadn't been reading this for class and skim reading it at 4 AM in a panic to find lines to talk about during class, this would definitely be five stars.

But of all the classics I've read--especially essay collections that are usually dry--this one was actually immensely enjoyable! Thoreau created such a complex and interesting blend of social commentary, memoir, and call to action. It revealed a lot about myself that I need to improve on, and it also brought new perspectives of appreciating If I hadn't been reading this for class and skim reading it at 4 AM in a panic to find lines to talk about during class, this would definitely be five stars.

It revealed a lot about myself that I need to improve on, and it also brought new perspectives of appreciating nature that I hadn't considered. What distant and different beings in the various mansions of the universe are contemplating the same one at the same moment!

Could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant? Jun 18, booklady rated it it was amazing Recommends it for: Everyone! Shelves: history , non-fiction , religion , , adventure , classic , education , favorites , health , worth-reading-over-and-over. Walden has really slowed me down. I love how Thoreau makes me see things. It takes time to see, to hear, and to use the senses properly.

While reading Walden you can expect to enter another realm. During my recent journey there I developed an appreciation of so much which I might otherwise have discounted as detail or back Walden has really slowed me down. The author has shared a perspective on the variations of visitors, bird songs and the true value of solitude.

He describes scenes, little furry creatures and the battlefields of ants, and in the next breath philosophizes about Time and Nature. His rules on culinary simplicity would send Julia Child into apoplexy! Thoreau can wander from one topic to another and back again, frequently seeming off track and irrelevant except that I suspect he might claim relevancy is overrated and not relevant itself.

As such, chapter titles are misleading, topics overlapping and meandering, some portions being better than others. And yet—for me at least—even the chapters with uninteresting titles contain quiet little gems of delight. Reading Walden is often like a long visit with an old friend, old as in age and old as in known for a long time.

Because this relationship is both deep and durable, you anticipate lengthy visits without fixed agendas, and yet the unpredictable quirkiness of the shared conversation is its greatest recommendation. He was all these things but I think mostly he was someone who wanted to drink life to the very last drop—in the very best sense. I read and listened to most chapters of this book, returning to favorites even three times. Gord Mackenzie did a superb job reading this for LibriVox , making me feel as if Mr.

Thoreau was addressing me in person. The wonder of Walden is that we can travel there any time by opening this book. No need for Trojan Horses trains or any of those other modern machines which would despoil the natural beauty of this sacred place. View all 21 comments. I rarely read books twice, but I already feel the need to come sit by the shores of this book again and again. Expansive and infinitely quotable, Walden is one of those books that shakes not just the ground you are standing on, but seems to shake the Sun as well.

Certainly there are parts of this book that are unrealistic, a little bit crankish, and even a little too self-aware. However, it is also beautiful, magnificent, and compelling in Thoreau's desire to see man seek the greater, more compe I rarely read books twice, but I already feel the need to come sit by the shores of this book again and again. However, it is also beautiful, magnificent, and compelling in Thoreau's desire to see man seek the greater, more compelling wilderness within.

Jul 22, Swaroop rated it really liked it. First Published: August 9, Thoreau's Walden is a masterpiece and timeless A voyage of self-discovery and manual for self-reliance. I don't even know how to describe, but there is that peace and calmth in Thoreau's words. It is so important to have peace of mind, in order to remain in one piece Wishing you all warmth, peace and fulfillment. You need to read Walden at least once. Thoreau's words: "Direct your eye right inward, and you'll find A thousand re First Published: August 9, Thoreau's Walden is a masterpiece and timeless Thoreau's words: "Direct your eye right inward, and you'll find A thousand regions in your mind Yet undiscovered.

Travel them, and be Expert in home-cosmography. Shall a man go and hang himself because he belongs to the race of the pygmies, and not be the biggest pygmy that he can? Let every one mind his own business, and endeavor to be what he was made. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest.

Only that day dawns to which we are awake. There is more day to dawn. The sun is but a morning star. View 1 comment. This book is not long at all but took me forever to get through. This may be a short book but was a long runoff of thoughts that I would have thought more appropriate for a private journal rather than a book for the public. It felt torturous at times to get through it.

I would have enjoyed it a lot more if it had been shorter with the points he was trying to get across being more concentrated. However, over all it had good thoughts and information. I'm glad I've read it but I do not think I will This book is not long at all but took me forever to get through. I'm glad I've read it but I do not think I will ever read it again.

I'd been eyeballing Annotated Waldens. Researched four available. Then, as fate would have it found an original first edition from Despite some copies being an exuberant amount managed to get all four copies for less than my gift and still some leftover to use for another present. Why go through all this for virtually the same book?

A review I'd read said in fact all three are different. The and are the same. Just a newer release. Each offers a different perspective.

My goal in all this? Being a geek about happiness and peace. Like Thoreau. Finding the threads in life to be the best for the world and myself has been and will continue to be my greatest pleasure. I endeavor to know Henry better. Learn from these scholars. And, create my own annotated version.

Who knows, perhaps I'll be the fourth to release my notes published for everyone to dissect. What I'm especially happy about is having all the first editions together.

If you are seeking a way of life that's happy, contented, without being complacent Walden is the timeless discovery that never grows weary of the truth for modern readers. Discovering balance simplistically. Clearing the forest. A division between dreams and reality. Design the world I live in. As Ghandi said paraphrased, be the change I wish to see in the world. How can we see truth? Amongst the myriad of things accumulated?

With the space required to own? Separate from our experiencing the meaning of truth? You're already home", the spirit frees. Exist here. When turning fifty a few years ago blogged about living fifty, fabulous, and other F words, not grey: a memoir about balance and pace had given me a platform to experiencing life differently than anyone I knew personally.

Creating a balance already lived by people like Thoreau. In a way this has shown me pace within myself. Structuring the space required to create dreams into reality. Just acceptance of resources. Using what the world provides from God to design a way to live philanthropically.

Never absent from the present moment. Focusing on what today offers. Traveling here. The place exists within. Kind regards, Patience Phillips Apr 10, Sarah Booth rated it it was amazing.

Review to come. I want to once again feel like I am coming from the cabin and moving about the lake with him as he describes everything in such poetic detail and brings me by his side to show me what he means and to think about the ideas he is thinking about. Aug 27, Jim rated it liked it Shelves: historical , 1paper , 2non-fiction.

I don't subscribe to transcendentalism, but did find his musings broken up by the seasons to be interesting. Like most philosophers, his view on life tends to ignore minor details like reality that don't fit into his worldview, but he does stay in the real world most of the time. I don't particularly like the man, though.

It's no wonder he never married or had kids. His self-centered nature wouldn't allow for such distractions. Even more offensive was the way he treated the axe he borrowed. That means they beat them up or never return them. That's exactly what Thoreau did, ruined a fine axe as if it was of no consequence. Generally, handles were handmade by the owner to their pattern.

During this period, Thoreau assisted his family in pencil manufacturing, and worked for a time as a town surveyor. He also began to keep an extensive journal, to which he would devote considerable energy over the next twenty-five years. His writing activities deepened as his friendship with Emerson developed and as he was exposed to the Transcendentalist movement, of which Emerson was the figurehead. Transcendentalism drew heavily on the idealist and otherworldly aspects of English and German Romanticism, Hindu and Buddhist thought, and the tenets of Confucius and Mencius.

It emphasized the individual heart, mind, and soul as the center of the universe and made objective facts secondary to personal truth. Thoreau began to enjoy modest success as a writer. His personal life was marred by his rejected marriage proposal to Ellen Sewall in , who was forced to turn down Thoreau as she had turned down his brother, John, before him because of pressure from her family, who considered the Thoreaus to be financially unstable and suspiciously radical.

Disappointed in love, devastated by the death of his brother, and unable to secure literary work in New York, Thoreau was soon back in Concord, once again pressed into service in the family pencil business. Thoreau and Lidian developed an intimate, but wholly platonic friendship. On July 4, , his cabin complete, Thoreau moved to the woods by Walden Pond.

He spent the next two years there composing the initial drafts to the two works on which his later reputation would largely rest: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers, first published in , and Walden; or, Life in the Woods, first published in His early success in The Dial exposed Thoreau to the idea of being a writer, a vocation he identified with very seriously thereafter.

In fact, his writing ambitions were a major reason for his move to Walden Pond. Living by himself at a distance and simplifying his life would allow him the opportunity to finally write his first full book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. A basic flowchart of his writing would start with field notes, which were then recorded as journal entries, next transformed into a lecture, afterwards an essay, and eventually part of a book. He took his field notes with him on walks in nature but typically did not record his experiences as journal entries until that night or even a few days later.

The thoughtfulness and quality of his journal writings enabled him to reuse entire passages from it in his lectures and published writings. In his early years, Thoreau would literally cut out pages or excerpts from the journal and paste them onto another page as he created his essays.

Before publishing his writing, Thoreau typically presented his essays in the form of a lecture. The Concord Lyceum, which he had attended even in youth, provided the opportunity for him to test out his ideas in front of a live audience, though he did not always appreciate the reception. I fail to get even the attention of the mass.