Walden by Henry David Thoreau.
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Not a bad book - a bit hard to read as the style is of the age not of todays literary style 
However ...
It has to be remembered that some folk claim (with reason it seems) that while living the ideal life on the Pond that he also sponged off friends, went on drunks in Boston and basically did not live quite the simple life he claims he did....
Of course this could be sour grapes on the part of folks always up to knock those who live differently ...
However ...
It has to be remembered that some folk claim (with reason it seems) that while living the ideal life on the Pond that he also sponged off friends, went on drunks in Boston and basically did not live quite the simple life he claims he did....
Of course this could be sour grapes on the part of folks always up to knock those who live differently ...
i've got half way through it
as john says its not the literary style of today
must dust it off for another go
(i shall read it same as last of the mohicans i just have to take a breather from it every so often)
as john says its not the literary style of today
must dust it off for another go
(i shall read it same as last of the mohicans i just have to take a breather from it every so often)
I'd echo the two wise gents above. I keep dipping in but find it quite hard going. I've just read 'Into the Wild' and am about to start 'Autobiography of a Supertramp' by WH Davies. After that, 'Travels with Charlie' by John Steinbeck.
Let us know how you get on
Let us know how you get on
Ahhhh - just wait - you have time ahead of you yet for it to happen again!
I am only 54 but this is the second time I have been called that
Travels with Charlie will seem very light reading on the rest of that reading list
A good read ... but not of the same depth
I am only 54 but this is the second time I have been called that
Travels with Charlie will seem very light reading on the rest of that reading list
A good read ... but not of the same depth
Walden and Travels With Charley both make my list of all time favorites. As for the bit of fiction in Walden, I believe Steinbeck has Thoreau beat by a country mile.
Can you imagine how someone who isn't of English origin has to struggle to understand a word he says??
I tried but put the book aside for now....
I tried but put the book aside for now....
I have read Walden, and to be honest, it was bl**dy hard work...but that said, this is the quote that sticks in my mind...
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...."
BIG GULP...
There are easier books to read, and to be honest, American literature is separated from English literature by one language...to paraphrase Wilde...
All I can say in recommendation is...toilet reading...dip in, dip out...
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived...."
BIG GULP...
There are easier books to read, and to be honest, American literature is separated from English literature by one language...to paraphrase Wilde...
All I can say in recommendation is...toilet reading...dip in, dip out...
I'm currently reading Walden. About a 1/4 way through and I'm really enjoying it. It's not that difficult to read once you get in the groove.
It's an inspiring read if nothing else.
It's an inspiring read if nothing else.
My favourite bit of Thoreau is the simple rock he used for a paperweight but threw out because he had to dust it.
Read it online http://www.gutenberg.org/files/205/205-h/205-h.htm lots of words but they are worth reading.
Read it online http://www.gutenberg.org/files/205/205-h/205-h.htm lots of words but they are worth reading.
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I managed t oread Walden some years ago, not sure if could do it again untrained. His language is one of long sentences, something Germans are used to so it might be easier for some foreigners in English as a language than for others.
He's a little bit revolutionary and very philosophical. In fact he went to the pond to avoid paying taxes as one of his reasons. You won't find anything about his gear like it is with Kephart. But I liked it a lot (Walden and Civil Disobedience).
He's a little bit revolutionary and very philosophical. In fact he went to the pond to avoid paying taxes as one of his reasons. You won't find anything about his gear like it is with Kephart. But I liked it a lot (Walden and Civil Disobedience).
Walden is a brilliant book. The quotations you hear from it are pretty clear cut:
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.
Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.
And then people buy the book and find it very hard going. The problem is that Thoreau had a rich classical education, and there are often allusions to Greek or Roman, even Indian mythology. Add the long winded 19th century style and it's tough for the modern reader.
The solution is to get an annotated edition, or use the study notes available on the web (I get the impression Thoreau is taught in US schools, so there are lots of resources available.) Then the opaque references become much clearer.
It's hard work - like friction firelighting. But at the end, if you stick with it, you get light.
"I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours."
"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation."
What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters compared to what lives within us.
I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practise resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms.
If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music he hears, however measured or far away.
Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify.
And then people buy the book and find it very hard going. The problem is that Thoreau had a rich classical education, and there are often allusions to Greek or Roman, even Indian mythology. Add the long winded 19th century style and it's tough for the modern reader.
The solution is to get an annotated edition, or use the study notes available on the web (I get the impression Thoreau is taught in US schools, so there are lots of resources available.) Then the opaque references become much clearer.
It's hard work - like friction firelighting. But at the end, if you stick with it, you get light.
It is a beautifully written book, I didn't find it to be a particularly hard read, each to his own I guess.
Quotes from Walden.
However if I'm reading American literature I would rather read something by Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Hemingway or McCarthy.
Quotes from Walden.
However if I'm reading American literature I would rather read something by Steinbeck, Fitzgerald, Hemingway or McCarthy.
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Walden should be read as philosophy rather than literature. Although there are many weaknesses in his arguments and logic, like all philosophical works its prime function is to make the reader think, and this can often be hard work. You don't have to agree with Thoreau, but several thoughtful readings followed by reflection could well change your whole attitude to life. Thoreau's pupose was to make a life experiment, to purify his perception of the political system in which he lived, as many Americans have done since. I guess most people who use this website value the way "getting away from it all", if only temporarily, can act as a reality check, especially when so many of us live urban lives. I don't think Thoreau should be compared with novelists, however good, because their aims are not the same.
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