WALDEN

H.D.THOREAU
Chapter 3
“READING” (WALDEN:
CHAPTER 3)
 Accumulating fame, prosperity and property for ourselves or posterity- mortal.
 He considers truth and in a way reading as immortal.
 Homer’s Iliad was his companion throughout the summer- on the table.
 Amidst his busy schedule he read books as much as possible.
 He considers classics as the “ noblest recorded thoughts of man”.
 Classics are regarded as oracles and provide answers to most modern inquiries which Delphi and
Dodona failed to gave.
 To read true books , in true spirits- is a noble exercise and requires the severe training as athletes.
 Thoreau differentiates between the spoken and written language or the language heard and
language read.
THE SPOKEN AND WRITTEN
LANGUAGE
Spoken language
 Commonly transitory(not permanent)
 Sound, a tongue or even a dialect
 Mother tongue( vernacular/employed in
everyday)
 Brutish ( appropriate to the context)
 Learnt unconsciously
Written language
 Matured and experienced
 Regarded as father tongue( certain
language used for expressing ideas)
 A reserved and select expression
 Nobler dialects
DID ALL READ THE CLASSICS?
 Some who merely spoke Greek and Latin were not able to read- since these were written in
select language
 They were in nobler dialects of Greece and Rome
 These texts were “waste paper to them” and they depended on cheap contemporary literature
 With the acquiring of distinct written languages in several nations of Europe – for their own
literatures- learning revived
 Scholars discerned( recognized) the treasures of antiquity
 very best speech is not as good as the best writing because the speaker is always trying to
appeal to those around him
 while the writer, who doesn't have "the event and the crowd" to distract him, is appealing to
readers of all ages and thus speaks immortal truths.
“A WRITTEN WORD IS THE
CHOICEST OF THE RELICS”-
THOREAU
 Books are something more intimate and universal than any other work of art
 Most nearest to life itself- can be breathed from all human lips
 Unlike a sculpture or canvas art it can be carved out of breath itself
 It stands the test of time unlike the monuments

“ Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations. Books, the oldest and
the best, stand naturally and rightfully on the shelves of every cottage. They have no cause of their own to plead, but while they
enlighten and sustain the reader his common sense will not refuse them.”

 Writers influence the mankind more than kings or emperors

 Many ignore the classics and stick to scriptures like The Bible and the Vedas
 The works of great poets have never yet been read by the mankind-for only great poets can
read them
 CONTD.
 They are read in the same way as the multitude read stars- astrologically
 Most men have learnt to read – for paltry convenience- for trade
 They vegetate on easy reading- less valued by Thoreau
 The best books are not read even by those who are called good readers
 Book exists for us, perchance, which will explain our miracles and reveal new ones. 
 He says, but there must also be schools for adults, because education must never end.
 He laments that the town spends money on unnecessary luxuries but not on its citizens' mental
life. He wishes for a noble village
THANK YOU! 