“Thinking Body” in H.D. Thoreau’s Poetry

Abstract

H.D. Thoreau has been discussed recently as “a philosopher of the body”, whose main impulse is to dismiss the dichotomy of soul and body. Some critics call this position into question, treating body representation in Thoreau’s Journals, books, essays as “thoroughly intellectual abstractions” or, rather, “the schizophrenic move to and away from the body”. In this article the issue is analyzed with Thoreau’s poetry in view to appreciate the relevance of body for the act of saying in its suchness.

Keywords

• henry david thoreau
• walden
• walking
• body representation