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A WALK WITH HENRY: Thoreau's Engagement with the Christian Bible
Thoreau was a Christian, just not in the way Christianity was understood and practiced in his Protestant New England.
A Walk with Henry David Thoreau
From the "Preface"
Contemporaries of Thoreau say he was guarded about his solitude, careful about who he would allow to accompany him on his walks. To Thoreau, his walk was his science, and his science was a spiritual inquiry and endeavor. His walks represented to him a daily challenge to leave the ways of the world behind and "to reconquer this Holy Land from the hands of the Infidels," and the effort required a hearty dose of engaged devotion. But the beating heart that comes across in his works puts the tales of a cold or aloof Thoreau into perspective. In his lectures and published writings, he was always generous. He never wrote "no admittance" on his gate.
This book connects Thoreau's words with sentiments found in the writings of the Apostle Paul, the Church Fathers, and the parables and sermons of Christ himself, referents rarely found in indexes of even the most thorough biographies. Looking at these references in some detail is essential if we are to have a better picture of the more spiritual aspects of Thoreau's thinking, a fuller picture of his literary achievements, and even a glimpse into some of the choices he made in his life.
The challenge is not to discern what Thoreau thought about "Christianity." That was mostly negative. The challenge, rather, is to discern what Thoreau thought it meant to follow Christ. To answer this question, it is necessary not only to study Thoreau's words but also to look to his life and to the New Testament on which he so heavily relied.
In an essay published while he was living at Walden Pond, Thoreau wrote that "Christ . . . yet awaits a just appreciation from literature." What Thoreau meant by a "just appreciation" we do not have to guess. The answer, this book argues, can be found hidden in plain sight in the pages of Thoreau's greatest works.
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CONTACT THE AUTHOR
Standing at the intersection of literary theory, critical biography, and applied theology, A WALK WITH HENRY is not only a new way of understanding Henry David Thoreau—it is a new way, an old way, of seeing and being in the world.
Christian Literary Theory
Literary Biography
Rhetoric and Composition
American Renaissance
A WALK WITH HENRY:
Thoreau's Engagement with the Christian Bible
Available now at wipfandstock.com
If you are a JOURNAL and would like a REVIEW copy, let me know.
For Teaching
Lawrence Dieker Jr, BA, MA, JD, is currently seeking a position as a visiting assistant professor.
For Readings
Lawrence Dieker Jr is available for presentations and readings.
Contact Information
DiekerLaw@gmail