An Ecocritical Study Of Henry Thoreau's Walden

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) is the 19th century American transcendentalist, writer and the pioneer of modern environmentalism. His name is almost synonymous with nature because he has devoted his entire life into observing and studying nature and written many literary works recording his ideas on man-nature relationship. His works such as Walden, A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and Maine Woods are famous for their detailed description of nature and profound ecological thoughts.In his own time, Thoreau was dismissed as a minor writer following his mentor Ralph Waldo Emerson. With the development of environmentalism in the late 20th century, Thoreau was rediscovered and his works have become the focal research of many literary critics. His masterpiece Walden appeals to more and more readers for its beautiful writing style and deep spiritual connotations. Walden has more than once been rated as number one in the ten greatest books that have contributed to shaping the American mind by the magazine American Heritage.This thesis intends to give an ecocritical study of Walden through reading the text from the perspective of ecocriticism, probing the profound ecological implications reflected in this work. And this study is of great help in leading us to thinking about the following questions: what kind of man-nature relationship shall we establish that will benefit the development of the whole ecosphere? And what kind of life should we live?This thesis consists of four parts. In the first part I intend to give an overview of ecocriticism concerning its development, research focuses and purpose as well as its theoretical sources. Ecocriticism is a newly emerging literary perspective with nature, man-nature relationship and nature-culture relationship reflected in literary works as its main research focuses. The purpose of ecocriticism is to promote the ecological awareness of people through analyzing nature in literature. The main theoretical sources of ecocriticism are Leopold's Land Ethic and Naess' Deep Ecology.Part two mainly discusses some important factors, such as the geographical and cultural contexts, which played an important role in the formation of Thoreau's Walden. Thoreau's time saw the conflicts between the industrial civilization and the Arcadian lifestyle dreamed by the idealistic transcendentalists. Faced with the environmental and spiritual crises brought about by industrialization, Thoreau went to Walden Pond to pursue his independent exploration in nature. It was during the over two years' intimate communion with nature that Thoreau created his masterpiece Walden.The third part seeks to analyze the ecological implications contained in Walden through close text reading. Thoreau's concept of nature and his views on man-nature relationship coincide with modern ecological philosophy such as Land Ethic and Deep Ecology. This is why Thoreau is often considered as an "ecologist" before ecology appeared. Thoreau thinks that nature has its intrinsic value and man is a part and parcel of nature; going to nature is a way of achieving Self-realization. He emphasizes the shift of man's relationship with nature from "I－Thou" to "Part－Whole". The voluntary simplicity and diversity of life is the way towards a wiser and saner life.In the fourth chapter, I intend to deal with the legacy left by Walden and its realistic significances. Walden is a classic having landmark significances in the history of American nature writing. It has much influence on nature writings in the following ages. For us modern people, the realistic significances of studying Walden are that it helps awake people's ecological awareness and promote a more ecological lifestyle that harmonizes with the environment.