Natural life

Cornell University Press

2004

xiv, 234 p.

Includes bibliographical references (p [221]-229) and index

9780801443138

An original relation to the universe -- The scripture of all nations -- No higher heaven -- Devour yourself alive -- Living poetry -- The actual world -- Life with principle -- Leaf, fruit, seed : nature's great circle -- Epilogue

"In Natural Life, David M. Robinson tells the story of a mind at work, focusing on Thoreau's idea of "natural life" as both a subject of study and a model for personal growth and ethical purpose. Robinson traces Thoreau's struggle to find a fulfilling vocation and his gradual recovery from his grief over the loss of his brother." "Robinson emphasizes Thoreau's development of the credo of living a "natural life," a phrase drawn from his first book, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers. The depiction of the contemplative life close to nature in Walden exemplifies this credo. But it is also fulfilled through Thoreau's later life as saunterer in the fields and forests around Concord, devoted to his studies of the natural world and dedicated to a life of principle." "Natural Life takes note of and encourages growing interest in the later phase of Thoreau's career and his engagement with science and natural history. Robinson looks closely at Walden and the essays and natural history projects that followed it, such as "Walking" and "Wild Apples," and the remarkable and little-observed writing on night and moonlight found in Thoreau's journal."

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