Walden and Civil Disobedience by Henry David Thoreau – Reviewed by Guy Portman
This Collins Classics publication consists of two works in one. The latter, Civil Disobedience, is a pamphlet-length, instrumental anarchist text. It encourages disobeying authority and refusing to pay taxes; the rationale being that the state engages in immoral activities such as warfare and is therefore not worthy of our funds.
Walden, which comprises the vast majority of this book, is an account of the author’s two years living in the New England wilderness. Determined to survive off the land, Thoreau builds a house, grows his own food and denounces all forms of luxury. He extols the virtues of a simple existence as superior to working in a professional capacity and the pursuit of money. Thoreau’s enthusiasm for his spartan lifestyle is in evidence throughout. The avid nature lover never tires of enthusiastically describing in intricate detail the local fauna and flora.
The didactic Thoreau proves to be a modest and intelligent narrator, albeit a verbose one. The onerous narrative consists of great blocks of text devoid of dialogue and devoted primarily to observations. Stylistically, this is very much in keeping with the era in which it was written; the nineteenth century. However, Walden is not without its rewards. This bloated account is peppered with persuasive and revealing arguments.
