1、Thoreaus Walden 楊莉莉& 陳李馨 李秀祥&林樹國。Henry David Thoreau 1817-1862, American writer, philosopher, and naturalist, whose work demonstrates how the abstract ideals of libertarianism and individualism can be effectively instilled in a persons life. Henry David Thoreau He was born in Concord, Massachusetts.

2、 From 1841 to 1843 Thoreau lived in the home of American essayist and transcendental philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson. In 1845 Thoreau moved to a crude hut on the shores of Walden Pond, where he devoted his time to studying nature, meditating on philosophical problems, reading classic literature, and

3、 holding long conversations with his neighbors. Henry David Thoreau Only two of Thoreaus works were published during his lifetime: A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849) and Walden; or, Life in the Woods (1854). A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers is the narrative of a boating trip

4、 that Thoreau took with his brother in 1839. In Walden, his most enduring and popular work, Thoreau explains his motives for living apart from society and devoting himself to a simple lifestyle and to the observation of nature. Henry David Thoreau In 1846 Thoreau chose to go to jail rather than to s

5、upport the Mexican War (1846-1848) by paying his poll tax. He clarified his position in his essay, “Civil Disobedience” (1849), in which he also discussed passive resistance, a method of protest that later was adopted by Indian leader Mohandas Gandhi, and by civil rights activists in the United Stat

6、es.transcendentalist Emersons answer in his essay “The Transcendentalist” is probably the most definitive. He declares “what is popularly called Transcendentalism among us is idealism; idealism as appears in 1842”. In a simple way, it is a group of ideas in literature and philosophy that developed i

7、n the general state of culture and society.Transcendentalists core feature The placed emphasis on spirit, or the Oversoul, as the most important thing in the universe They stressed the importance of the individual They offered a fresh perception of nature as symbolic of the Spirit of God An active t

8、ranscendentalist He was not an “escapist”, but was intensely involved in the life of his day He did not like the way a materialistic America was developing and was directly outspoken on the point He hated the human injustice as represented by the slavery system and was known to have helped at least

9、one African American slave to get free Walden Thoreaus masterpiece, Walden, is a great Transcendentalist work It exhibits thoreaus calm trust in the future and his ardent belief in new generation of men.Theme 1, A book on self culture and huamn perfectibility. It is a book about man, what he is and

10、what he should be and must be. So the book is full of aphorisms(警句) “civilized man is the slave of matter.” “by trying to amass material possessions, ,am is not really living; he is digging his own grave.” 2, Regeneration is a major thematic concern of Walden and decided its structural framework. ( summerautumn-winter -spring)Influences In literature, Thoreaus reputation as a writer is unarguable. But in his own time he was considered an eccentric and a loafer. For half a century after his death, Thoreau remai