Abstract

Thoreau scholars have long been aware of his saunterings and of their relative import in terms of his excursion pieces. But important questions about his walking experience have never fully been answered: Why did Thoreau devote more of his time to walking than to any other activity? What impact did his walks have on his daily life, on his personal beliefs, and on his writings? What does his sauntering experience reveal about him as a person and about his own unique brand of Transcendentalism? ;This study probes every aspect of Thoreau's walks in an attempt to answer these questions. A systematic analysis of the frequency, intensity, scope, and Transcendental nature of his rambles and how they matched his unique personality substantiates the formative influence of Thoreau's daily saunterings. Each phase of his walking experience reveals important aspects of Thoreau's life and beliefs. In several ways, walking aided Thoreau's quest to explore the external landscape, enabling him to thoroughly scrutinize nature. In particular, the parochial nature of his sauntering explorations points toward his own notion of the microcosm, the strong influence which Concord held over him, and his ability to project himself imaginatively while sauntering. But Thoreau's most fruitful sauntering was internal, helping him explore the landscape within himself and providing him with experiences which heightened the senses, stimulated emotions, triggered thoughts, and provided spiritual insights. Most importantly, Thoreau's daily excursions fulfilled his essential self, helping to resolve the tensions within him created by his attraction to nature, his need for solitude, and his counter desire for companionship, and they met his vocational needs, particularly by aiding his writing process. ;This analysis of these aspects of Thoreau's walking experience clearly establishes the centrality of his sauntering life. Every aspect of his life revolved around his walks; they are the informing principle of his writings, particularly his Journal, and properly understood, they are the informing principle of his own life. Better than anything else, they reveal his personality, his beliefs, and his goals--especially his daily effort to apply the tenets of Transcendentalism to the world around him