So, we began with a lengthy discourse on the excesses and pitfalls of modern economy. Then as an answer and counterpoint, a poetic chapter on living simply, deliberately, and awakened. So now why an entire chapter on Reading?
Think about it. If our intention is to learn to live consciously, to keep only what is necessary, then what are those things? At first glance, of course Thoreau would keep his books. “Books are the treasured wealth of the world and the fit inheritance of generations and nations.”
Yes, and it’s more than that. This chapter isn’t just about reading. It’s about the power and necessity of learning.
Thoreau wastes no time in getting to a Hindu poet and Homer, all in one paragraph. He will continue to mix and match his favorites and instruct us on the power of reading and learning.
There are contradictions I’ll leave you to contemplate:
Homer has never yet been printed in English….
The best books are not read even by those who are called good readers.
He concludes with a call to education and thinking for yourself. “We need to be provoked…” He also keeps it local—“What does our Concord culture amount to?” followed by an argument for the power and agency of the village to choose and provide its own education. “It is time that villages were universities….”
Is he placing the village on par with the classics by weaving them together in the same chapter? This might seem a stretch, and consider his devotion to knowing Concord and its surroundings. While Walden may point us to the inner journey, also present is the invitation to explore, know and appreciate our surroundings.