"Walden or Life in the woods" by Henry David Thoreau is a story published in 1854. The book tells the life of Thoreau that he spent in a cabin for two years, two months, and two days in the Forest belonging to his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emmerson beside the Walden Pond not far from his friends and family who lived in Concord, Massachusetts. This book is written in such a way that the stay seems to last for only one year. The narration follows the changes of the seasons, and Thoreau presents his thoughts, observations, and speculations. He also reveals how, through contact with nature, the individual can renew himself and transform, finally realizing the necessity to subordinate all action and ethical standards to the rhythm of the elements. "Walden" is not a novel, autobiography, or naturalist diary. Its critical dimension against the Western world makes it a real pamphlet." The imaginative part is consistent and Thoreau devotes many scenes to describe the Walden pond but also the animals and the way people regard him because of his isolation, while drawing philosophical conclusions. These long passages on nature belong to the Transcendentalism tradition and call for a rethinking of ethics."
#литературоведение
