Henry David Thoreau: Thinking Disobediently

Henry David Thoreau was a key figure in the American Transcendentalist movement and the era of U. S. literary emergence. He wrote Walden, an autobiographical narrative of his two-year sojourn in a self-built lakeside cabin, and Civil Disobedience, a classic of American political activism. He is also an icon of modern American environmentalism, the father of American nature writing, a forerunner of modern ecology, and a harbinger of freelance spirituality. He is a controversial figure, with conflicting assessments of his work, the evolution of his thought, and the facts of his life.

Format: Hardback
Length: 144 pages
Publication date: 03 January 2024
Publisher: Oxford University Press Inc

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a prominent figure in the American Transcendentalist movement and the era of U.S. literary emergence, an intellectual with a global impact as an essayist, social thinker, naturalist-environmentalist, and sage. Thoreau's Walden, an autobiographical narrative of his two-year sojourn in a self-built lakeside cabin, is one of the most widely studied works of American literature. It has inspired countless literary imitations and thousands of neo-Walden experiments in back-to-basics living, both rural and urban. Thoreau's renowned essay, Civil Disobedience, is a classic of American political activism and a model for nonviolent reform movements around the world. Thoreau also stands as an icon of modern American environmentalism, the father of American nature writing, a forerunner of modern ecology, and a harbinger of freelance spirituality combining the wisdom of the West and the East. Thoreau is also a controversial figure. From his day to ours, he has elicited sharply opposite reactions ranging from reverence to dismissal. Scholars have regularly offered conflicting assessments of the significance of his work, the evolution of his thought, even the facts of his life. Some disagreements are subjective, but many stem from challenges posed by his own cross-grained idiosyncrasies. He was an advocate for individual self-sufficiency who never strayed from home, a self-professed mystic now also acclaimed as a pioneer natural and applied scientist, and a seminal theorist of nonviolent protest who defended the most notorious guerrilla fighter of his day. All in all, he remains a multifaceted and enigmatic figure who continues to inspire and provoke thought and debate.

Thoreau's Walden, an autobiographical narrative of his two-year sojourn in a self-built lakeside cabin, is one of the most widely studied works of American literature. It has inspired countless literary imitations and thousands of neo-Walden experiments in back-to-basics living, both rural and urban. Thoreau's renowned essay, Civil Disobedience, is a classic of American political activism and a model for nonviolent reform movements around the world. Thoreau also stands as an icon of modern American environmentalism, the father of American nature writing, a forerunner of modern ecology, and a harbinger of freelance spirituality combining the wisdom of the West and the East. Thoreau is also a controversial figure. From his day to ours, he has elicited sharply opposite reactions ranging from reverence to dismissal. Scholars have regularly offered conflicting assessments of the significance of his work, the evolution of his thought, even the facts of his life. Some disagreements are subjective, but many stem from challenges posed by his own cross-grained idiosyncrasies. He was an advocate for individual self-sufficiency who never strayed from home, a self-professed mystic now also acclaimed as a pioneer natural and applied scientist, and a seminal theorist of nonviolent protest who defended the most notorious guerrilla fighter of his day. All in all, he remains a multifaceted and enigmatic figure who continues to inspire and provoke thought and debate.

Thoreau's Walden, an autobiographical narrative of his two-year sojourn in a self-built lakeside cabin, is one of the most widely studied works of American literature. It has inspired countless literary imitations and thousands of neo-Walden experiments in back-to-basics living, both rural and urban. Thoreau's renowned essay, Civil Disobedience, is a classic of American political activism and a model for nonviolent reform movements around the world. Thoreau also stands as an icon of modern American environmentalism, the father of American nature writing, a forerunner of modern ecology, and a harbinger of freelance spirituality combining the wisdom of the West and the East. Thoreau is also a controversial figure. From his day to ours, he has elicited sharply opposite reactions ranging from reverence to dismissal. Scholars have regularly offered conflicting assessments of the significance of his work, the evolution of his thought, even the facts of his life. Some disagreements are subjective, but many stem from challenges posed by his own cross-grained idiosyncrasies. He was an advocate for individual self-sufficiency who never strayed from home, a self-professed mystic now also acclaimed as a pioneer natural and applied scientist, and a seminal theorist of nonviolent protest who defended the most notorious guerrilla fighter of his day. All in all, he remains a multifaceted and enigmatic figure who continues to inspire and provoke thought and debate.

Weight: 290g
Dimension: 216 x 148 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780197684269