Walking

By Henry David Thoreau

Walking is Thoreau's essay that champions the simple act of taking stroll through Nature. It has become one of the most important essays in the environmental movement, and is a portable guide to the most basic act which man do to witness the 'absolute freedom and wildness' of nature. Thoreau also uses an experience from his own life to represent a personal account in nature, more specifically his experiences while walking into the forest near his property. Eco-social politics can be seen in this essay when Thoreau analyzes building development as a taming and cheapening of the landscape. Thoreau brings the reader into a spiritual realm when he associates the divinity of nature and the spirit of walking with Christianity and Greek Mythology. In addition, when describing the Mississippi River, Thoreau describes the river as a kind of enchanted Holy Land.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sheba Blake Publishing
• Release date: Mar 21, 2014
• ISBN: 9781304855237

Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was an American writer, thinker, naturalist, and leading transcendental philosopher. Graduating from Harvard, Thoreau’s academic fortitude inspired much of his political thought and lead to him being an early and unequivocal adopter of the abolition movement. This ideology inspired his writing of Civil Disobedience and countless other works that contributed to his influence on society. Inspired by the principals of transcendental philosophy and desiring to experience spiritual awakening and enlightenment through nature, Thoreau worked hard at reforming his previous self into a man of immeasurable self-sufficiency and contentment. It was through Thoreau’s dedicated pursuit of knowledge that some of the most iconic works on transcendentalism were created.

Reviews for Walking

[emma_manolis · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was my second reading of "Walking" and, this time, I chose to read it in nature. That really made all the difference. I found myself hating it this last fall when I read it in the confines of my tiny little room. Surrounding myself in nature and allowing myself to annotate in the margins made me feel like Thoreau and I were on our own walk, having a conversation. Just like any long conversation there were moments I began to zone out and think about other things but overall it is a wonderful read and an experience I will probably have again.

[bnielsen_30 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Indeholder "Ole Jacobsen: Indledning", "Om at vandre", "En vintervandring"."Ole Jacobsen: Indledning" handler om ???"Om at vandre" handler om ???"En vintervandring" handler om ???

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book is a little gem. It's short, and the writing is lyrical. Clearly, if Thoreau does not inspire you to love nature with this masterpiece, nothing will.

[danielstj · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An absolutely elegant and beautiful piece of writing. Thoreau soars and astounds with his mesmerizing prose that touches on many different themes seamlessly, yet inclusively-- privately. This is not one to be mixed.Recommended.

[benjaminsiegel-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Best thing he ever wrote; probably the greatest essay by any of the Transcendentalists. Its greatest paragraph: "My desire for knowledge is intermittent, but my desire to bathe my head in atmospheres unknown to my feet is perennial and constant. The highest that we can attain to is not Knowledge, but Sympathy with Intelligence. I do not know that this higher knowledge amounts to anything more definite than a novel and grand surprise on a sudden revelation of the insufficiency of all that we called Knowledge before—a discovery that there are more things in heaven and earth than are dreamed of in our philosophy."