Thoreau, Walden, Day #4

--In the winter sections of the narrative, Thoreau's focus turns to nature, both animals and the landscape. These chapters seem to hinge on the question of whether or not and to what extent, we can know or understand (plumb the depths, to use one metaphor) nature. Ultimately, how knowable does Thoreau find nature?

--At the beginning of the book, Thoreau claimed to want to brag, to speak to his neighbors about changing their way of life. But there have signs that the narrative is less focused on persuading others than in demonstrating his own insight. In the end, particularly the conclusion, do you find him more focused on personal or more public significances of his experience?

Thoreau, Walden, Day #3

--In "the Ponds," Thoreau praises Walden and compares it to its neighbor ponds, most particularly Flint's Pond. The owner of Flint Pond is critiqued for his appropriation of nature and transformation of it into market value, but what does Walden mean for Thoreau in distinction to this?

--For those of you who complained of Thoreau's depiction of the Canadian woodcutter Alek Therein, surely there was much to note in "Baker Farm" and its depiction of the Irish farming family. What do you make of his suggestions to that family and his thoughts on hunting, vegetarianism and consumption more generally?

--The episode at the end of "Brute Neighbors" with Thoreau 'chasing' after the loon is often seen as a meaningful symbolic moment in the text, but critics and scholars often disagree about its significance. What do you see as its significance to the narrative?

Thoreau, Walden, Day #2

--Somehow, even with the new vogue for 19th century facial hair among young men, I don't think we'll see a lot of localvore, bicycle-riding types sporting Thoreau's chin beard--But on to the questions.

--Consider the contrapuntal structure of the chapters, mentioned last class. Look at one pairing ("Reading" & "Sounds," or "Solitude" & "Visitors," or "The Bean-Field" & "Visitors") and consider why he puts them together and what their being paired does to put the ideas into dialogue. What is the general effect of the contrapuntalism?

--Since I set you to look closely for figurative language in Walden, I hope you have noticed that it is more or less full of it. How do we reconcile this rich, complex and sophisticated literary language with Thoreau's call for people to "simplify" their lives?

Thoreau, Walden, Day #1

--In "Economy," Thoreau spends a good deal of time suggesting to whom this text is directed: who is the constituency/audience? Is it singular or multiple? Is it coherent or contradictory?

--Thoreau is a classic romantic author, so many find it strange that the first chapter of his central work is is named after that most material of concerns, "Economy." What does Thoreau have to say about economy? What is the relation of economy to spirit or the ideal here?

--Thoreau writes at length about constructing his cabin, considering how to design it and what are the significances of designing a home. Compare his attitude to Downing's.

--Compare Thoreau's tone, voice and/or persona to that of Willis and/or Melville's narrator in "The Piazza."

Willis & Melville, "The Piazza"

This image is of Herman Melville's home, Arrowhead, in the Berkshires of Massachusetts. Like Willis, Melville moved out of the city to live in a rural district that was transitioning from agricultural use to more residential use.

--Willis' letters deal extensively with the kinds of manipulations of the landscape to make it more pleasing that Downing advocated. Downing sees this as a service to the community: how does Willis present or understand it?

--Compare the tones and personas of the narrators of Willis's letters and Melville's stories. What are their similarities and/or differences? If Melville's story is a commentary on Willis (and his ilk), what is it saying?

--What is the 'lesson' of the narrator's experience with Marianna in "The Piazza"? Is he in any way affected or changed by his encounter with her by the story's end?

Willis & Downing, Country Living

--A.J. Downing was in many ways the "Martha Stewart" of his time, offering all sorts of advice on how to make life more beautiful and pleasing to antebellum Americans. In the essay we are discussing tomorrow, he takes up the significance of building attractive country homes and cottages. Why are they important and what are they supposed to do (beyond pleasing owners)? Compare Downing's notion of the cultivation of taste for nice homes to Cole's notion of cultivating a taste for scenery.

--Willis writes about the countryside around his home "Glenmary" in the Susquehanna River Valley. While surely not urban, it is neither wilderness nor farmland (he is farming, but not because he needs to financially). What does he value about this landscape? What do he do on it and with it? Compare it to the visions or attitudes toward landscape that we have seen to date in the class.

Fuller, from Summer on the Lakes, in 1843

You may answer this for Wednesday or for Monday's class as well. Please answer one of the following questions, or supply your own questions or responses.

--Fuller goes to Niagara Falls expecting a sublime experience like so many before her. Does she get that experience or not? What seems to stand in the way or help her have this experience?

--Compare her discussion of sublimity with Thoreau's meditation on the sublime in "Ktaadn."