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Walden

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Walden

By: Henry David Thoreau
Narrated by: Mel Foster
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About this listen

 Walden is the classic account of two years spent by Henry David Thoreau living at Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. The story is detailed in its accounts of Thoreau's day-to-day activities, observations, and undertakings to survive out in the wilderness for two years.

Thoreau's journal is an exquisite account of a man seeking a more simple life by living in harmony with nature. In today's fast-paced consumer-driven society, the austere lifestyle endorsed by Thoreau is as relevant and refreshing as ever.

Public Domain (P)2008 Tantor Classics World Massachusetts
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The author rambles on about the cost of planting beans, problems with eating fish, the benefits of platering your house and a list of dates when the lake froze and when it melted. If a man does it, is intellectual, if a woman does, she is a trad wife…Oh, of course he has no runing water. He has the lake for it. You can tell he does not menstruate or has babies that poop or pee every three hours. He makes a few misogynistic comments and thinks reading is overrated.

I had it on 1.2 speed. Couldnt wait for it to finish…if you want to read about surviving in the wild, i think The Great Alone is much more fun and i understand is also semi autobiographical.

Tiring

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Walden isn’t the profound political text I thought it would be. It is instead the rantings of a hermit who has some idea of politics and every once in a while will share his view on a matter but by no means is it an overall narrative in my opinion.

A hermit ranting

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He asks people to live a life similar to Alan Watts or Albert Camus with simple living. with that in mind it ends up not being so exciting and adventurous but there are a few good points. It's not written like a philosopher but more like an old man giving advice for a good life. he has a poetic way with words sometimes but quite rare I thought.

"Birds do not sing in caves". Life is in nature not inside

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