In this collection of essays on Thoreau's life and work, thirteen different authors discuss Thoreau's development as a writer, his social and political conscience, his committment to the natural environment, and how all this influenced his writing.I have to confess, I had not read any of Thoreau's writing before reading this book. Although I was aware of his greatest work, "Walden", I was never really sure what it was about, and it was only a reference to this work that I read somewhere else recently that lead me to seek out books by or about Thoreau.
This was the first book I came across, and I found it a wonderful introduction to Thoreau's work. From his early writings for various literary magazines, to his first book "A week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers" through to Walden and his later natural history writings, we are given a detailed analysis of each piece.
There are also essays on Thoreau's relationship with Ralph Waldo Emerson, an important figure in his life; his deep connection with Concord, the city where he lived; and his reputation as a writer during his own lifetime, and as viewed through modern eyes.
What’s surprising is how relevant Thoreau’s work still is today. In recent times, environmental management has become a mainstream issue, as our concern and awareness for the damage that has been done grows. However Thoreau was writing about this almost 200 years ago. He was a pioneer of the science of ecology, even before that term was invented.
In the discussion of Thoreau’s journal, we learn more about his philosophies and methods of working. Thoreau viewed his journal as ‘possibly his most important project as a writer’, and he discusses the purpose and value of journal-keeping. This is all placed in the context of the nineteenth-century literary world, where the habit of journal-keeping was prevalent.
Reading this book made me wish that I had discovered Thoreau much earlier. He was exactly the sort of writer I needed to read when I was in my teens and early twenties, struggling with my own writing and passion for natural history.
Whether you have read any of Thoreau's work or not, I believe you will find something of value in this book. If not in the analysis, then definitely in the detailed references and suggestions for further reading. A must-read for all ‘Thoreauvians’.
