Wednesday, July 30, 2008

Walden Update for all interested and uninterested


As you should know if you do not know, I emailed Ms. Tinker regarding my idea for the Walden project. Turns out that my facts were not straight about something: 45 pages, not 90; but that is still a 1:6 journal to text ratio. Ms. Tinker actually approved of my idea for one massive entry, which I will write on Saturday/Sunday. This is how the journal will be set up:

Chapter 0: A Note to the Reader ~ 3 pg

  • My introductory chapter will remind readers of the setup of this journal and briefly describe each chapter. Moreover, it will discuss the time it took for reflection and how long it took to read the book.
Chapter 1: Concerning the Teachings of Thoreau in Walden ~ 10 pg
  • This chapter will talk about Thoreau's life using the text Walden to evaluate his behavior; no outside sources will be used for this. I will attempt to explain what I think is right and wrong with the actual text of Walden.
Chapter 2: An Account of Thoreau's Life on Walden Pond from Various Sources ~ 7pg
  • After documenting my thoughts on Thoreau's lifestyle by means of the book Walden, I will further validate my arguments through use of other sources. Said sources will validate my arguments, and show the nature of Thoreau's actual life, not the one that he describes in his book.
Chapter 3: An Evaluation of the Teachings in Walden ~ 10 pg
  • In this section, I will basically set up an argument with myself, attempting to determine whether Thoreau was consistent with what he did in the book, or if the book itself was not consistent. From the side that I chose to finally believe, I will endeavor to explain why he was either consistent or inconsistent throughout the book and his actual lifestyle. This section will also allow me to reflect again on whether I actually agreed or disagreed with the teachings in the book.
Chapter 4: An Analysis of the Reasoning of Thoreau's Ideas Expressed through Walden ~ 15 pg
  • I will devote this chapter to a psychoanalysis of Thoreau and also an anaysis of the text of Walden. In it, I will attempt to discover why Thoreau wrote the novel the way he did and what truly shaped his thought process expressed in the text.
What do you know...45 pages! At least this will let me reread Walden in one sitting and do all of the journal entries at once. Thank the lord for email.

P.S. I will be posting the journal when I am finished for all eager readers...which will be slim at best >-(

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