A Journal On Thoreau

I picked this date to begin some posts about the town of Concord, Massachusetts in general, and Henry David Thoreau.in particular.  You see, on this date, the 6th of September, way back in 1847, Thoreau left Walden Woods after two years, two months, and two days. He wrote his two most famous works during that stretch of time - Walden, and On the Duty of Civil Disobedience.

He was a writer of modest success during his own lifetime, but seemed unable to escape from out of the shadow of the much more famous Ralph Waldo Emerson. But that was not to last, as things worked out. Yes, he seemed to be Emerson's student, on many levels, and worked for him at times. it seemed that his writings were in the mold of Emerson, and did not enjoy anywhere near the success that Emerson's work had during this time period.

In time, however, that would change. Thoreau's writings became more and more popular, as it gained more of an audience following his death. His writings appealed to many people - including those looking to change the world through nonviolent protest, as well as environmentalists and conservationists. But this newfound success, and a large reversal of his previous image, came largely after his death. He himself was not alive to see it. Yet, through his writings, and the power of his thought, he still lives, on some level.

They remain largely immortalized even to the present era, where his solitary voice in he wilderness would prove remarkably relevant, and seemed even prophetic. it's almost as if he knew exactly what lay ahead, and was warning us in the present the greater part of two centuries after he wrote them.

So begins a series of blog entries on Thoreau and some somewhat loosely related areas, as well as the town of Concord (Massachusetts) in which he lived, and roamed the woods freely until he died. I will write about my own recent experiences at Walden Woods, where Thoreau wrote his most famous work, and which itself was the subject matter. It seemed like a crazy idea at the time, yet this catapulted him to literary immortality. I will write a review on Walden, as well as Heaven Is Under Our Feet, which is a book with a compilation of contributing authors coming together to honor not just Thoreau's writings and legacy, but to actually save Walden Woods, which was under threat of being developed, and modern civilization seemed to be on the verge of moving forward. Also, I will review a book on Concord itself, and maybe, just maybe, write a bit more on this man, of whom I am proud, personally. Finally, I will write a piece about my own recent visit to Concord and Walden - although it should be noted, that I will not necessarily be doing all of this in the order that I just stated.