Presenter Information

Jeffrey G. Wray, BYUFollow

Content Category

Literary Criticism

Abstract/Description

“Men have become tools of their tools.” Henry David Thoreau had no idea how much his declaration of the mid 19th century would become a prophecy of the 21st. As I entered my newly rented apartment to find a completely Wi-Fi free zone this past semester, I realized just how proud Thoreau would be. This would be my “modern-day Walden.” More out of irony than academic intrigue, I was motivated to read Thoreau’s Walden as I lived my very own. But as I read on, I realized I was part of the transcendentalist movement, just two centuries too late. My experiments lead me to see the strengths of the primary epistemological sentiments of the 19th century, and yet just how far we have changed (and needed to change) our modern way of thinking. My presentation will cover the validity of the transcendentalist/naturalist movement in our technological era, and the reflection of literature on that change.

Copyright and Licensing of My Content

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.

Location

B192 JFSB

Start Date

20-3-2015 1:45 PM

End Date

20-3-2015 3:00 PM

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Mar 20th, 1:45 PM Mar 20th, 3:00 PM

The Modern Walden

B192 JFSB

“Men have become tools of their tools.” Henry David Thoreau had no idea how much his declaration of the mid 19th century would become a prophecy of the 21st. As I entered my newly rented apartment to find a completely Wi-Fi free zone this past semester, I realized just how proud Thoreau would be. This would be my “modern-day Walden.” More out of irony than academic intrigue, I was motivated to read Thoreau’s Walden as I lived my very own. But as I read on, I realized I was part of the transcendentalist movement, just two centuries too late. My experiments lead me to see the strengths of the primary epistemological sentiments of the 19th century, and yet just how far we have changed (and needed to change) our modern way of thinking. My presentation will cover the validity of the transcendentalist/naturalist movement in our technological era, and the reflection of literature on that change.