Walden

Lore & Background

Walden details Thoreau's experiences over two years, two months, and two days in a cabin he built near Walden Pond, on land owned by his friend and mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson. Thoreau makes precise scientific observations of nature as well as metaphorical and poetic uses of natural phenomena, identifying plants and animals by popular and scientific names, recording water color and clarity, and measuring the depth of the pond. The work was inspired by transcendentalist philosophy, a central theme of the American Romantic Period.

Reader's Guide

Thoreau went to Walden to escape what he considered 'over-civilization' and to seek the 'raw' and 'savage delight' of the wilderness, though he also spent considerable time reading and writing. He received regular domestic support from his mother and sisters, who brought food and took his laundry, contrasting with the book's theme of absolute self-reliance. The book is organized into chapters focusing on economy, where he lived, reading, sounds, solitude, visitors, and the bean-field. Thoreau's stated purpose was 'to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life.' The work remains a cornerstone of American literature and environmental thought.

Did You Know?

• His mother and sisters frequently brought him freshly baked goods and took his dirty laundry to wash.
• The book compresses Thoreau's two-year, two-month, and two-day stay into a single calendar year using four seasons to symbolize human development.
• Thoreau used his time at Walden Pond to write his first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers.