A Summary and Analysis of Henry David Thoreau’s ‘Reading’

By Dr Oliver Tearle (Loughborough University) ‘Reading’ is a chapter from Henry David Thoreau’s 1854 book Walden; or, Life in the Woods . The book details Thoreau’s decision to leave behind modern civilisation and live a simple life in the woods in Massachusetts. In ‘Reading’, Thoreau laments the fact that his fellow citizens of Concord in Massachusetts seem uninterested in reading the great works of classical literature, instead settling for ‘easy reading’ which provides little in the way of intellectual improvement. You can read Thoreau’s essay here before proceeding to our summary and analysis of his argument below. ‘Reading’: summary Reading great literature makes us immortal, in a sense, because it is about the truth, and the truth is immortal. Reading puts us in touch with the minds of people who lived a long time ago. The best writing is superior to the best speech, because orators and speechmakers devise their words only to be heard , whereas writers wish their words to be understood down the ages. For this reason, it is best to learn ancient languages so we can read the classics in their original language, rather than a modern translation. The influence of books extends beyond that of emperors or kings. When a man has attained material wealth, he turns to intellectual riches in order that he may become aware of the ultimate emptiness of his material possessions and the need to create an intellectual society that his children might benefit from. Returning to the issue of translation, Thoreau goes so far as to argue that Homer, Virgil, and other classical writers have never truly been published in any modern language, because such translations are not ‘true’ Homer, Virgil, and so on, but inferior renditions. Similarly, most great poets have never truly been read, since it takes another great poet to read and truly understand the works of other great poets. This is similar to Thoreau’s earlier distinction between hearing an orator make a speech and understanding what a writer has written. For Thoreau, most people reading great poets is similar to the majority of stargazers […]

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