Thoreau's Axe: Distraction and Discipline in American Culture

In his book "Thoreau's Axe," Caleb Smith explores how nineteenth-century "disciplines of attention" anticipated the contemporary concern with mindfulness and being "spiritual but not religious." He examines how Americans came to embrace attention, mindfulness, and other ways of being "spiritual but not religious," and how older Christian ideas about temptation and spiritual devotion endure in our modern ideas about distraction and attention. Smith offers close readings of twenty-eight short passages about attention and shows how disciplines of attention became the spiritual exercises of a distracted age.

Format: Hardback
Length: 256 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2023
Publisher: Princeton University Press

In the bustling world of today, where our attention is relentlessly pulled in countless directions by the constant barrage of digital devices, it may seem like a modern-day dilemma. However, as Caleb Smith's insightful and meditative work reveals, distraction was a significant concern in American culture two centuries ago.

Smith delves into the enigmatic and captivating archives of the nineteenth-century attention revival, exploring a range of sources from Protestant ministers cautioning against frivolous thoughts to Thoreau's profound reflections on wakefulness at Walden Pond. Through his meticulous examination, Smith uncovers how Americans gradually embraced attention, mindfulness, and other forms of "spiritual but not religious" existence, drawing upon older Christian notions of temptation and spiritual devotion that endure in our contemporary understanding of distraction and attention.

The emergence of nineteenth-century concerns over attention was a response to the perceived detrimental mental effects of emerging technologies and economic systems. A "wandering mind," once diagnosed, was seen as requiring therapy or rehabilitation. Smith's text, inspired by nineteenth-century books of devotion, adopts a structured format, offering close readings of twenty-eight concise passages on attention. He examines the influence of social reformers who crafted moral training programs for the masses, religious leaders who organized Christian revivals, and spiritual seekers like Thoreau, who experimented with simplified living and transcendental mysticism. By examining these diverse perspectives, Smith demonstrates how disciplines of attention evolved into the spiritual exercises of a distracted age, providing a fresh perspective on the enduring human quest for meaning and well-being.

Weight: 456g
Dimension: 148 x 225 x 26 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780691214771