Discussion Led by Don Skiles
TEXT: Walden and Resistance To Civil Government, Henry D. Thoreau,
2nd Edition, Edited by William Rossi (Norton Critical Edition,
1992)
“How many a man has dated a new era in his life to the reading of a book?”
“. . .the part of the human personality which wants to develop and become whole.” – Jung
“However important personal relationships may be for the creatively gifted person, it is often the case that his particular field of endeavour is still more important. The meaning of his life is constituted less by his personal relationships than it is by his work.” – Solitude, Anthony Storr
“The cinema is not a craft. It is an art.” – Jean-Luc Godard
Walden is an extraordinary book in many ways, perhaps one of the
most influential books ever written. Please NOTE the very generous selection
from Thoreau’s Journal (which some scholars consider his major work).
Those selections in our edition cover from July 1845, when he moved to Walden
Pond, to May 1854, when he sent the last of his Walden manuscript to the
printer’s (pps. 249-54 for further details on this). Try to read some
of the Journal as you read Walden. It is very interesting to
compare the Journal entries with what Thoreau included in his final
version of Walden. The Journal entries also give the reader a
rare opportunity to see the germination of a great work of literature.
Thinking about teaching Walden – someone asked “Who’s teaching Walden? “ But it is more like the book is teaching you – this is a book that teaches you; you do not teach it.
CLASS READINGS/DISCUSSIONS
Monday, February 9: Why did he “go to the woods”? Chapters 1&2, pps. 1-67
Wednesday, February 11: What did he find there?, “Reading” pps. 67-87, “Baker Farm”, 135-140
Wednesday, February 18: What does he recommend? “Higher Laws”, 140-49, “House Warming”, 159-70, “Spring”, 199-213 “Those moments. . .that define the imaginative and spiritual life.”
Friday, February 20: Conclusion, 213-223.
NOTE: There will be an in-class essay on Friday in connection with Walden. You will be asked to choose from one of four assigned questions.
Some links of interest, including the text online:
Schneider, Richard J. (1998) Walden - A READING GROUP/DISCUSSION GUIDE. Wartburg College. Available online: http://www.beacon.org/readguide/rgwalden.html
The Thoreau Society (2003) Available online at: http://www.aa.psu.edu/thoreau/
Lenat, Richard. (2004) The Thoreau Reader. Available Online: http://www.eserver.org/thoreau/
Witherell, Elizabeth & Xie, Lihong (2003) The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau. Northern Illinois University. Available online: http://www.thoreau.niu.edu/