HenryDavidThoreau(1817-1862)•Americanauthor,naturalist,transcendentalist,taxresister,developmentcritic,surveyor,sagewriterandphilosopher.HeisbestknownforhisbookWalden,areflectionuponsimplelivinginnaturalsurroundings,andhisessay,CivilDisobedience,anargumentforindividualresistancetocivilgovernmentinmoraloppositiontoanunjuststate.•Hislife•Hisworks•AppreciationofWalden•Otherquotes•CommentsonThoreauTheBasicsBorninConcord,Massachusetts,homeofEmerson,Louisa.MayAlcott(authorofLittleWomen),andNathanielHawthorne(sometimes)•GraduatedfromHarvard,butonlystayedathomeandhelpedfamilybusiness.•Madelivingasteacher,writer,pencilmaker.•Emerson’sprotégé•BrotherJohndiedoflockjawaftercuttinghimselfshavingin1842anddiedinThoreau’sarms.•Thoreaudiedin1862oftuberculosis.•Ofhimselfhesaid,“Iamamystic,aTranscendentalist,andanaturalphilosopher.”•Infact,heisamanofonebook,andthatbookisWalden.•Emerson’sJuniorby14years,Thoreauwasadisciple,astrictfollowerofEmerson.•HewasapracticalTranscendentalist.•In1845hebuiltacabinonsomelandbelongingtoEmersonbyWaldenPondandmovedintolivethereinaverysimplemannerforalittleovertwoyears.•His“one-manrevolutionist”surmountedtheobstaclesofanincreasinglycomplexsocietybysimplicityandself-reliantindependence.•HenryDavidThoreauwas,likeFranklin,ajack-of-all-trades,buthispersonality,lifeandideascontrastedsharplywiththatofhispragmaticpredecessor,Thoreau’stranscendentalistalmostanarchic.•Allhislifehemadehislivingbyphysicalwork.•FarfromearningmoneythroughhiswritingThoreauhadtopaythecostofpublicationforhisbooks,whichneversoldenoughcopiestorepayhim.•Whenhisbookswerereturnedtohimunsold,heremarkedwithwryhumor:•Ihavenowalibraryofnearlyninehundredvolumes,oversevenhundredofwhichIwrotemyself.Isitnotwellthattheauthorshouldbeholdthefruitsofhislabor?•ThoreauattendedHarvardandbecameproficientinbothGreekandLatin,whichhecontinuedtoreadthroughhislife,buthehadlittlerespectfortheconventionalcollegecurriculum.•WhenEmersonargued,“Theyteachallthebranchesoflearning”heanswered,“Yes,allofthebranchesbutnoneoftheroots.”•HefeltthattheonegenuineintellectualstimulusofhiscollegeyearshadbeenhisindependentreadingofEmerson’sNature.•ThoreauvirtuallyunknowntotherestoftheUnitedstatesinhisowntime,buthisreputationhasbeenrisingsteadilythroughthetwentycentury.•Now,heisnotonlygenerallyconsideredoneofourfinestliteraryartistsbuthashadapracticalinfluencefewwriterscanboast.•AftertheFirstWorldWarGhandi,inIndia,modeledhisanti-BritishcampaignofpassiveresistanceonThoreau’slongessayDisobedience”.•AftertheSecondWorldWar,MartinLutherKingbasedstrategyofnon-violentstruggleforblackrightsintheUnitedStatesonthesamework.•In1960’stheyoungstudentsfightingtoendtheUnitedState’swaragainstVietnamorganizedtheirgreatdraft-resistancemovementinthenameofCivilDisobedience.•Hefeltthatthelifeofthebodyandthatofthemindshouldflowtogetherandexpressedthisinmanyvividpassages.•In1845hebuilthiscabinontheshoresofWaldenPond,whichhasbecomeaMeccaforpilgrimsfromallovertheworld.•(AstudentfromIndia,askedtonamethreemostimportantbodiesofwaterintheUnitedStates,surprisedtheexaminerbyanswering:“TheGreatLakes,theMississippiandWaldenPond.”)Hewantedtogetbacktothenakedsimplicitytolife.•Hewantedneithertobeinterferedwithnortointerferewithothersandhedeclared,“Iwouldnothaveanyoneadoptmymodeofliving,eachshouldfindouthisownway,nothisneighbor'sorhisparents.”•HisresidenceatthePondwasinterruptedbyaday’simprisonmentforrefusaltopayapolltaxtoagovernmentthatsupportedtheMexicanWar,awarheconsideredmerelyalandgrabbingschemeoftheSouthernslaveholders.•Thisactionwasinaccordwithhisbeliefinpassiveresistance,ameansofprotestheexplainedinhisessay“CivilDisobedience.”•Hebelievedthatthatgovernmentisbestwhichgovernsleast,thattheyaretheloversoflawandorderwhoobservethelawwhengovernmentbreaksit.”AspectsofThoreau•Thoreaubecameamanofletters,buthewasalsoawildman,afaun;hebecameEmerson’sman,aHarvardman.•“WhatIwaslearningincollegewaschiefly,Ithink,toexpressmyself,”hewritesfiveyearsafterleavingHarvard.•Thoreauwasanaturalascetic.Heatelittlefleshmeat,butsubsistedalmostentirelyonvegetablefood;hedranknothingbutwater;henevermarried.•Herefersinalettertoanamelessladywhowishedtomarryhim,andhecallstheinvertedcourtship“tragic.”•Salvationforhimmeantescapefromendlesslabourfortheacquisitionofuselessthings.•Anotherparadoxofhiscareer,hefreedhimselffromNewEnglandthriftbybeingstillmorethrifty.•Thoreauisaprophetofthesimplelife,perhapsthefirstinAmerica.Heusestheveryterm.HisPointofView(1)HedidnotlikethewayamaterialisticAmericawasdevelopingandwasvehementlyoutspokenonthepoint.(2)Hehatedthehumaninjusticeasrepresentedbytheslaverysystem.(3)Thoreausawnatureasagenuinerestorative,healthyinfluenceonman’sspiritualwell-being.(4)Hehasfaithintheinnervirtueandinward,spiritualgraceofman.(5)Hewasverycriticalofmoderncivilization.(6)“Simplify…simplify!”(7)Hewassorelydisgustedwith“theinundationsofthedirtyinstitutionsofmen’sodd-fellowsociety”.(8)Hehascalmtrustinthefutureandhisardentbeliefinanewgenerationofmen.Hisworks•1.“CivilDisobedience”非暴力反抗•2.Walden/LifeintheWoods瓦尔登湖/林中生活ThemesWalde