Henry David Thoreau's Walden is the account of a two-year adventure during which he lived at Walden Pond, from 1845 to 1846. Written during this period, and edited at least seven times over the next ten years, Walden appeared in print in 1854, although Thoreau had presented the ideas in it in a successful series of lycea throughout New England.

Questions to Consider:

1) Pay some attention to the phrasing and language which Thoreau uses in his narrative. What sort of language is it? Compare it to other writing of the period with which you are familiar. Is it similar to or different from it? To what do you attribute this? What is the effect of the language and style used by Thoreau in Walden?

2) Why does Thoreau take such care to tell us each detail of his economic existence, down to recording his exact expenditures? What does this indicate about his message in Walden? Why does he indicate the costs of items to the tenth of a cent? What does this show about his personality or value system?

3) Why does Thoreau go to the woods? What does he hope to find there that he cannot find in society? Does he seem to find it?

4) Discuss the role that solitude -- either actual or imagined -- plays in Thoreau's story. Where does that solitude come from? Thoreau is famous for an essay on "self-reliance." How does he model that self-reliance in Walden?

5) Thoreau stayed in his cabin at Walden Pond for two years, two months, and two days, but his narrative covers one year. Why does he construct the narrative in this way?

6) Consider what is going on around Thoreau--the increasing Industrial Revolution in New England, slavery and the antislavery movement, and the urbanization of the Northeast. In what ways does he respond to these patterns in Walden?

7) How does Thoreau "construct" nature in Walden? How does he construct Walden Pond as a wild place, and what might be his reasons for doing so?

8) To what might you attribute the lasting popularity of Walden today?

Further Readings and Resources:

Elizabeth Hall Witherell and Elizabeth Dubrulle's Life and Times of Thoreau, an online exhibit about Thoreau's life.

The Thoreau Edition's Writings of Henry D. Thoreau.

The Thoreau Edition's Reflections on Walden includes not only thoughts about the text but other links to discussions of Thoreau's correspondence, handwriting, and other issues.

The Official Thoreau Society Home Page.

Ann Woodlief's Study Text of Walden provides hypertext notes for the text which will guide your study of it.