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charloweenI've been reading (trying to read) Walden. As I mentioned to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
nevalent the other day, even though Thoreau seems to have had a heaping bowl of crazy for breakfast each and every morning, it's neat that a text from over 150 years ago is intelligible. You know, in the abstract. If we go back 400 years, for example, English is different enough that we do need some translation. But English that's 200 years old and younger, well, that's nicely intelligible.
However.
While the words all may make sense (and their spelling is familiar), sometimes I do feel the yawning void of every single one of those 150 years.
For example, when writing on philanthropy, Thoreau says, "I want the flower and fruit of a man; that some fragrance be wafted over from him to me, and some ripeness flavour our intercourse."
He means that philanthropy shouldn't be conscious and directed, but a natural outpouring. Ah, the dangers of metaphorical language.
All in all, for every one thing I like about Walden is swamped by ten things that are made of crazy. It's hard to tell what is sincere and what is overblown metaphor.nevalent suggested I try reading some Emerson as an antidote. I may have to, sooner rather than later.
nevalent the other day, even though Thoreau seems to have had a heaping bowl of crazy for breakfast each and every morning, it's neat that a text from over 150 years ago is intelligible. You know, in the abstract. If we go back 400 years, for example, English is different enough that we do need some translation. But English that's 200 years old and younger, well, that's nicely intelligible. However.
While the words all may make sense (and their spelling is familiar), sometimes I do feel the yawning void of every single one of those 150 years.
For example, when writing on philanthropy, Thoreau says, "I want the flower and fruit of a man; that some fragrance be wafted over from him to me, and some ripeness flavour our intercourse."
He means that philanthropy shouldn't be conscious and directed, but a natural outpouring. Ah, the dangers of metaphorical language.
All in all, for every one thing I like about Walden is swamped by ten things that are made of crazy. It's hard to tell what is sincere and what is overblown metaphor.
nevalent suggested I try reading some Emerson as an antidote. I may have to, sooner rather than later.
