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Thoreau as a Realist

Author: LiuQin
Tutor: HongZengLiu；GuZuoZuo
School: Anhui University
Course: English Language and Literature
Keywords: Henry David Thoreau Harmony Walden Animal Man and Nature
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Type: Master's thesis
Year: 2011
Downloads: 235
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Abstract


Henry David Thoreau is a great American writer of transcendentalism and the pioneer of modern environmentalism. Being an ardent lover of nature, he devoted his entire life to studying the relationship between man and nature, and bequeathed a legacy of works in this field. However, he is often misunderstood as a pure romanticist and an escapist. This thesis attempts to prove that Thoreau is a realist who is deeply concerned with the social issues of his time and voluntarily experiments with his life, hoping that he can find the solutions. With the rise of spiritual crisis as well as global environmental problems, Walden appeals to more and more readers for Thoreau’s prophetic vision of a harmonious world.Since its publication, Walden has been studied from a great variety of perspectives, but these studies mainly focus on Thoreau’s views on nature in general, or his ecological ideas. A detailed and comprehensive study of the animals in Walden is rarely seen. Examining the animals in Walden, this thesis intends to probe into Thoreau’s positive philosophy of life. Through a detailed analysis of man-animal relationship in Walden, we are in a better position to understand Thoreau as a realist. His retreat to nature is not an escape, but an attempt to put his belief into practice, aiming to find a model for the harmonious co-existence between man and nature. His record of his simple life in Walden proves that man and nature can live in harmony with each other, and provides a good example for human beings to solve the spiritual and environmental crises.This thesis is composed of five parts. Chapter one gives a brief account of Thoreau and his masterpiece Walden, and reviews the existing scholarship on Thoreau and Walden. Chapter two mainly talks about animals in Walden. It includes the diversities of animals, the human characteristics of animals. Thoreau and the hawk. Chapter three is concerned with Thoreau’s realistic ideas on the harmonious coexistence between man and animals. It includes the following parts:recognizing the value of animals, respecting the rights of animals and being neighbor of animals. Chapter four investigates the model Thoreau intends to set up for the harmonious relationship between man and nature. In this chapter. I will cover the following sections:the biocentric equality as the foundation for harmonious relationship, voluntary simplicity of life as the way to harmony, and self-culture through nature as the ideal result of the harmony. Chapter five serves as the conclusion of the thesis, in which I emphasize that Thoreau is a realist, and his reflections on man-nature relationship still have a profound impact on modern society.

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