"I rejoice that there are owls. Let them do the idiotic and maniacal hooting for men. It is a sound admirably suited to swamps and twilight woods which no day illustrates, suggesting a vast and undeveloped nature which men have not recognized. They represent the stark twilight and unsatisfied thoughts which all have. All day the sun has shone ... but now a more dismal and fitting day dawns, and a different race of creatures awakes to express the meaning of Nature there." - Henry David Thoreau
This year I am taking a classics challenge created by Anne at In Search of Wonder. Anne's prompt for January was to read a book from our TBR list and so I decided to read Walden; Or Life In The Woods (1854) by Henry David Thoreau.
Currently I am half way through Walden. It's not a book you can breeze rhrough and so I am taking it slow so I can reflect on what Henry David Thoreau has to say about nature, solitude, civilization and the meaning of life:
These days Henry David Thoreau is more popular and widely known than he ever was during his lifetime. And today with people building their tiny houses or getting into their RV and heading west the philosophy behind Walden lives on. And with the weather getting better maybe the best way to read Thoreau is outdoors experiencing the natural world that he loved and wrote about so powerfully.
This one is definitely on my radar, I may even already have it on my Kindle. I do love the idea of reading this kind of book slowly and savouring it rather than gobbling it up like a novel. It's so important to really take in what these wonderful non-fiction authors had to say. I'm doing the same with my current non-fiction book, On The Marsh by Simon Barnes which is absolutely beautiful. I did actually mention you in my latest blog post by the way.
ReplyDeleteThanks for mentioning me Cath and I know you will like Vera Wong. Walden is well worth reading also but it's important to go slow and there are some chapters in the book that I liked better than others. I enjoyed Solitude, Visitors, The Village. The Economy the first chapter I found a bit of a struggle. But I have more chapters to read which I am looking forward to.
DeleteI've read Walking by Thoreau, and he is definitely a writer that makes you slow down and read at a walking pace. I've never read Walden, but I have visited the site of his cabin and stepped inside the replica cabin nearby. It was a special moment!
ReplyDeleteThat is a special moment. I have seen pictures of the cabin and it's small one room but kind of attractive,. A person could live there.
DeleteI love Walden! I've read it more than once and have several favorite Thoreau quotes written down in my notebook. Like the one about hearing a different drummer and how a man should step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away. I also like what he says about advancing confidently in the direction of your dreams and building castles in the air. :D
ReplyDeleteHe is such a great writer and I have quite a number of passages underlined myself. I have a Dover edition which has an attractive blue cover and I need to start taking Walden out with me so I can read it outdoors.
DeleteWalden outdoors...what a perfect idea!
DeleteI am interested in reading Walden and I will be looking for a copy this year. Reading it slowly is a great idea and I am sure it would be good for rereading also.
ReplyDeleteIt definitely is a book to reread and probably one reads it differently at different stages of one's life. I look forward to your review of Walden.
DeleteYeah I think reading it slowly is the way to go. Does Walden describe different seasons or is it set during one time? I like nature writing so I should read it. He seems to have so many wise thoughts. I guess being alone in nature can help a person think carefully & observantly. I look forward to more of your review.
ReplyDeleteHi Susan , sorry for the delay in getting back to you. I just saw your post. I am still reading Walden. Thoreau spent two years at Walden Pond but he did make regular trips into Concorde. What I would say about Walden is that there are chapters I liked But others can drag. But he had some great thoughts along the way.
Delete