Description
Henry David Thoreau spent two years, two months and two days in a hut on the banks of Walden Pond, in voluntary isolation from society. He abandoned inventions of modern civilization he felt he did not need and spent time farming, fishing and reading.
The result of this quiet seclusion was the book “Walden; or, Life in the Woods.” It contains 18 observational essays on subjects such as the construction of a hut, farming methods, observation of wildlife and enjoyment of nature.
The book’s brilliant descriptions and satire, along with attention to Thoreau’s temperamental issues, provide an in-depth look at the mindset of one of society’s first downshifters. Thoreau lived simply and as he said, “deliberately,” during this time according to his own wishes.
“I learned this, at least, by my experiment: that if one advances confidently in the
direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he
will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.”
―
Henry David Thoreau,
Walden; Or, Life in the Woods
