Thoreau

No offense intended here, however I must state that one who does not see or try to discover the enlightening ideals seeping from "Walden" is not trying hard enough. <br>The first read, surely of any piece of good literature will come across as befuddling, however with an open mind and a great professor, the more one studies the text, the better they understand the concepts. Best of luck. I hope you come to see what you are missing out on.<br><br>Kate

I must fitfully resist slashing my wrists everytime I try to imbibe What is suppose to be an enlightening text. As for reading it.. do not.. I've resorted to reading everything else and memorizing all the other assigned texts so that I'll instantly know his drivel when I see it<br>Lorena M.

[starrwriter]

Originally Posted by kate

No offense intended here, however I must state that one who does not see or try to discover the enlightening ideals seeping from "Walden" is not trying hard enough. The first read, surely of any piece of good literature will come across as befuddling, however with an open mind and a great professor, the more one studies the text, the better they understand the concepts. Best of luck. I hope you come to see what you are missing out on.

I agree with you and it saddens me to see other posters call Thoreau's writing "stupid" and "drivel." I think Thoreau is the most American writer I ever read and the most inspiring.

In one of his books he wrote: "Not one of my readers has ever lived a full human life." That line was like a slap in the face to me, reading it 150 years after he wrote it, because I realized it was true today. We still "lead lives of quiet desperation."

On his death bed Thoreau was a peaceful and happy man because he had learned how to live a sane life. If he can see the modern world, I'll bet he's a very unhappy ghost.

[Karuna]

I came across 'Walden' in an Oxfam charity shop when recovering from head injuries. I value my memory of reading it in the garden of rest in my (then) local cemetry's Garden of rest; and recalling how, even then, he championed the cause of the current Environment Loby. Thoreau spoke such emminent good sense I think he should be compulsary reading for all of today's Economists and Political leaders!

[monellia]

Yeah, people are way harsh on Thoreau. I admit I had my qualms with Walden initially, but even then thought it unfair to discredit him with plagiarism. Thoreau writes from his own individual perspective, which happens to coincide with old ideas. In doing so, he made these ideas relevant and inspirational for a modern audience. One thing I disesteem Thoreau with is his disregard for the respective personalities of individuals, and his disregard for the inconsistent reception of transcendentalism among people.

[Mathor]

I agree. This novel changed my life. Normally I would've seen it as hogwash, but I came to discover it a month or so after losing my job. This book showed me how rich I truly was, with nothing. This novel is brilliant.