Walden

Use these links to supplement and complement students’ reading of the work and to increase their overall enjoyment of literature. Challenge them to discern parallel themes, engage through visual and aural stimuli, and delve deeper into the thematic possibilities presented by the title.

Recommended Texts for Pairing

10 Transcendental Poems

• excerpts of transcendental poems written by 19th, 20th and 21st century poets
• brief descriptions of how each poem excerpt demonstrates elements of transcendental thought and poetic methods

The Dial Magazine

• online archive of each edition of The Dial, a transcendentalist magazine to which Thoreau contributed several poems and essays
• free e-books feature a digitalized format of each edition of the magazine

The Poets of Transcendentalism

• 186 poems written by 42 major and minor transcendentalist authors
• includes 8 poems written by Thoreau

American Transcendentalism in Contemporary Literature

• journal article that examines how 19th century American transcendentalist doctrines are present in two contemporary literary texts—Into the Wild by John Krakauer (1996) and Our Endless Numbered Days by Claire Fuller (2015)
• compares these contemporary texts to Walden

Thoreau and Ecocriticism

• journal article that provides a literature review of the concept of ecocriticism and how it combines the study of literature and the environment
• explores how Walden exemplifies the principles of ecocriticism and how the text can be used to advance the work of ecocriticism and environmental stewardship

Other Student Resources

The Walden Woods Project

• Eagles singer Don Henley, founder of the Walden Woods Project, narrates a Ken Burns film about Walden and the importance of conservation.
• a digital documentary of Thoreau’s life and writing, and a list of his contributions to The Dial transcendentalist magazine

The American Transcendentalist Documentary Film

• 54-minute film that profiles three leading transcendentalists: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller
• also spotlights important landmarks in Concord, MA, where transcendentalism began

Transcendentalism: A Modern Perspective

• 14-minute documentary film on the role of American transcendentalism in the 21st century, including a connection to the 2007 movie “Into the Wild”
• University professors and high school students contribute their thoughts about transcendentalist beliefs.