Reading Thoreau in the 21st Century: Whither and Why?

This essay offers a critical re-assessment of Henry David Thoreau’s life and legacy in the context of contemporary critiques of the mainstream environmental tradition. It takes seriously concerns raised about Thoreau’s status as a privileged white male, but calls for more nuance. In particular, the...

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Autore principale: Gould, Rebecca Kneale (Autore)
Tipo di documento: Elettronico Articolo
Lingua:Inglese
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Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Pubblicazione: 2022
In: Journal for the study of religion, nature and culture
Anno: 2022, Volume: 16, Fascicolo: 4, Pagine: 497–517
Altre parole chiave:B Slavery
B Environmental
B nature religion
B African-American
B Wilderness
B Race
B Henry David Thoreau
B Transcendentalism
B Drew Lanham
B black writers
B Abolitionism
Accesso online: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Riepilogo:This essay offers a critical re-assessment of Henry David Thoreau’s life and legacy in the context of contemporary critiques of the mainstream environmental tradition. It takes seriously concerns raised about Thoreau’s status as a privileged white male, but calls for more nuance. In particular, the essay challenges those portraits of Thoreau that emphasize Thoreau’s status as a devotee of American nature religion to the exclusion of Thoreau’s significant contributions as an abolitionist and as a prescient critic of an emergent culture of consumption that relied on slavery for its success. The essay assesses the ambivalent legacies that Thoreau left in his wake, demonstrating those moments when Thoreau’s public life as a social critic chafed against his most deeply held spiritual orientations and practices.
ISSN:1749-4915
Comprende:Enthalten in: Journal for the study of religion, nature and culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1558/jsrnc.25139