Although Thoreau emphasizes marching to the beat of a unique drummer, his ideas were not that radical seeing as he wrote "Walden" in the middle of the Transcendentalist movement. If a work like "Walden" was published today, would it spark a new wave of Transcendentalism or would it not influence society as it did when it was first published?
If a work like "Walden" was published today, I do not think it would spark a new wave of Trascendentalism. I also do not think it would influence society at all. Unlike the beliefs of the Transcendentalists, people today believe in material goods, such as owning property. Modern society has new beliefs that do not really reflect the Trascendentalism beliefs, so I do not think that "Walden" today would influence society.
I believe that in today’s times, Thoreau's ideas could not be readily accepted. Although many people may want to live a more simplistic life, it is hard to imagine a society so deeply involved in things such as technology, to become completely remote. Some may desire a life that is less materialistic, but due to the growing economy, it would be almost impossible to survive without adapting to some of the modern day inventions of society. Because so many people have a love for material objects, it would seem unrealistic that a new wave of Transcendentalism could become reinstated.
If a work such as “Walden” were to be published today, it would likely have very little import. The ideas presented in the writing are simply too common to result in any large scale movement. At the time, transcendental ideas were unheard of in the United States, but were present in oriental countries. Nowadays, similar ideas have a large following.
A new Walden would not have a large impact on today's society. The publication of such a work would be a small drop in the pond compared to the number of books, essays, papers, blog posts, movies, music, and other ideas published every day. In the mid-1800s, works could only be made widely available through publication in newspapers or periodicals such as magazines - people only read new ideas in a few select sources. The number of books published in the year Walden was pales in comparison to then number of books published per year today. In a society where Americans are bombarded from every side with media ranging from newspapers and magazines to television and the internet, a book like Walden would be unlikely to create a revival of Transcendentalist sentiment. There are just too many other influences for a new Walden to make a large impact on today's society.
I think that if a work like "Walden" was published today it would have little impact on the majority of people who would read it. Even people who are open to change in today's world would most likely not be able to change their lifestyles into what would be considered radically simplistic and technologically deprived. I think that many people have grown dependent on current technology and material items to the point that rather than accepting Thoreau's ideas, they would either ignore them or ostracize transcendentalists.
I agree, Transcendentalism reflects an earlier time of human development of philosphy and ideology. Society today has made incredible leaps in this field and would be unable to reflect on this selection as it would be deemed "simplistic", an overdose of flowery language with its basis being far too broad, with Thoreau unable to condense his theory to one sentece.
I think that if a work like "Walden" was to be published today, it's ideas could seriously impact our society. However, that impact would largely depend upon the author and style of the book. People are easily swayed and coerced into beliefs they don't necessarily believe to be true. If we think back to the time of Hitler, the witch trials, or Red scare, hundreds to thousands of people were convinced to kill and convict people based on morals many people did not even know they had. It seemed unrealistic at those times that anything would change in people's ordinary lives, but soon the norm was replaced with the new radical idea. The same thing could easily happen today, where if a person were to write persuasively enough, they could convince an entire society to change the way they live. People are gullible, so it would not be that hard to spark a revolution in people, if one convinced them by presenting all the right arguments.
I think if a work like "Walden" was published, I strongly believe that it would not effect any of the society today. Today people use technology daily for multiple purposes and a book like "Walden" making connections with nature might seem dull and boring. People today rely heavily on technology, so the techniques used in "Walden" will be irrelevant to many and only be seen as a book with words, not meanings.
If a work like "Walden" was published in today's society, I do not believe that it would greatly influence society as it did when it was first published. Society has changed so much since "Walden" was published— our society is now largely influenced by technology and the need to just own "things". To live a life of solitude, as Thoreau did in Walden, people would have to learn to live completely differently; and in today's society people would not want to do that.
I think that some people overwhelmed by the exacting society of today would appreciate Thoreau's message. But, like the hippies, I think they would engage in much more advocacy than action.
I agree with your thought. While I think there would be a group of people that would appreciate this reinforcement of Transcendentalism, they would not be aggressive enough to spread the idea to the point where it would be common. I think over all it would be overshadowed by more urban lifestyles, that have ultimately led to a desire for material rewards.
I do not think Walden would make a very big impact because I dont think enough people read nowadays to be able to spread the message of transcedentalism.
If Transcendentalism was re-introduced today I think that it would be largely scoffed at by most people. The ideas presented in "Walden" are way too simplistic to even be considered seriously by the vast majority of people today. A basic fact of life nowadays is that technology rules our lives and material possessions are our motivation for succeeding in life. Good luck going to Nordstrom and telling shoppers they don't need their new $200 jeans.
The ideals presented in Thoreau's book reflect the possibilities of a more simpler time. According to the way society is structured today, none of the ideas in "Walden" would be effective or expedient. When you weigh the themes of simplicity, solitude, and communion with nature, you realize that the likelihood of those ideals being practiced in an urban society are slim to none. The Transcendentalist ideals in "Walden" are based more on idealism rather than pragmatism which make them obsolete in modern society.
If a work like "Walden" was published today, it would not be likely that it would spark a new wave of Transcendentalism. People might consider the idea and possibly agree with it but it is highly unlikely for people to actually leave their possessions and go embrace nature. Not many people are open to change and not to change as drastic as Transcendentalism because it is very different from the modern world.
Thoreau promoted a simple life in the woods, but nowadays, not many people know how to live for an extended period of time like that. For example, lots of people in the 1850's knew how to hoe beans, while very few Americans do now. Most Americans do not know how to build their own house, either. They would find Thoreau's lifestyle difficult and pointless.
If one looks at the lifestyle of Americans today it can be seen as something that for the most part entirely contradicts Walden. This would lead people to believe a modern day publication of Walden would have a near impossible time sparking a new wave of transcendentalism. However, that does not necessarily mean it's impossible for a neo-transcendetalist movement to occur.
When looking at Walden one must look at the lifestyle people lived during that era and realize that perhaps it is not as drastic as modern day people believe it to be. Originally published in 1854, people lived very rural and pastoral lifestyles from the viewpoint of someone living in the 2000's. While in some regards the life lived in "Walden" can be seen as radical for the people of the 1850's, it is fair to say it's a far cry from the radical that people from the 2000's see it as.
It is also fair to imply that if a publication similar to Walden were to come out in this current decade, or the decade ahead, the publication would not be as radical as we perceive the "Walden" of 1854 to be. This is because one can conclude that the Walden of 1854 wasn't necessarily as radical for the people of the 1850's, the Walden of the 2000's won't necessarily be as radical for the people of this modern age. Therefore, and to answer one of the poster's original questions, a modern day publication of Walden would extensively influence society. If one is to watch television today, it is noticeable that there are a good number of programs mocking this technology reliant, materialistic society that people have created. Shows such as "Housewives of Orange County" exemplify this, and is used to entertain people because the people and their actions on the show can often be found as ridiculous. However, it is important to also note how the modern day lifestyle's of Americans are also very similar in some aspects to the lifestyles found on these types of television shows. Clearly, people are seeing the flaws in society but are using it as entertainment value since they have not realized it within their very own lives. This would explain how a modern day publication of Walden would very well be able to spark a new transcendentalist reform as it would allow people to see what they laugh at on television and other forms of media within their very own lives.
If a book similar to Walden were to be published in our day and age, I think it would be overall ignored by the public. There are too many other priorities that consume our time to even consider adapting to Transcendentalism. It would enlighten those who read it, but the message isn't drastic enough to call them to take actions. It would be a lot more difficult for someone to drop all of their responsibilities and privileges earned today. We have become accustomed to a capitalistic lifestyle that would be too hard to abandon.
