Thoreau's Journal Drawings
The Power of the Visual
Seiten
2026
University of Massachusetts Press (Verlag)
978-1-62534-943-9 (ISBN)
University of Massachusetts Press (Verlag)
978-1-62534-943-9 (ISBN)
- Noch nicht erschienen (ca. Juni 2026)
- Versandkostenfrei
- Auch auf Rechnung
- Artikel merken
Examining journal drawings as an integral—and often delightful—feature of Thoreau’s work
In 1850, Henry David Thoreau began to draw in his Journal—a hedgehog’s quill, a locust’s wing, a goldenrod leaf. The sketches reflect his efforts to train his eye to observe more carefully, to look closely enough that he could see what was in front of him—with intention and attention. As Thoreau worked to combine the vivid language of a writer with the precision of a scientist, his drawings became more vital to the process. For him, writing and drawing were not separate activities; they were part of the same active, hands-on process of learning about the natural world.
Thoreau’s Journal Drawings offers a sustained examination of an understudied aspect of the Journal, emphasizing visual as well as textual analysis. It places Thoreau’s illustrated entries in the broader context of nineteenth-century scientific illustration, nature writing, and visual culture, while also offering close readings of key passages in which text and image work in tandem. The book opens up new possibilities for interpretation—both within the Journal and in the larger project of Thoreau’s thinking.
Ultimately, Thoreau’s illustrated Journal offers a case study in the complexities of representing the natural world through both language and image. His practice raises enduring questions about how we document, interpret, and mediate the more-than-human world across different forms of expression. To read the later volumes of Henry David Thoreau’s Journal without attending to his drawings is to overlook a vital dimension of his practice as both writer and observer.
In 1850, Henry David Thoreau began to draw in his Journal—a hedgehog’s quill, a locust’s wing, a goldenrod leaf. The sketches reflect his efforts to train his eye to observe more carefully, to look closely enough that he could see what was in front of him—with intention and attention. As Thoreau worked to combine the vivid language of a writer with the precision of a scientist, his drawings became more vital to the process. For him, writing and drawing were not separate activities; they were part of the same active, hands-on process of learning about the natural world.
Thoreau’s Journal Drawings offers a sustained examination of an understudied aspect of the Journal, emphasizing visual as well as textual analysis. It places Thoreau’s illustrated entries in the broader context of nineteenth-century scientific illustration, nature writing, and visual culture, while also offering close readings of key passages in which text and image work in tandem. The book opens up new possibilities for interpretation—both within the Journal and in the larger project of Thoreau’s thinking.
Ultimately, Thoreau’s illustrated Journal offers a case study in the complexities of representing the natural world through both language and image. His practice raises enduring questions about how we document, interpret, and mediate the more-than-human world across different forms of expression. To read the later volumes of Henry David Thoreau’s Journal without attending to his drawings is to overlook a vital dimension of his practice as both writer and observer.
Kathleen Coyne Kelly is professor of English at Northeastern University and editor of The Concord Saunterer: A Journal of Thoreau Studies. She is the author of the Thoreau-inspired Field Notebook, published by the Thoreau Society, and the textbook Reading to Write: A Practical Rhetoric, as well as Performing Virginity and Testing Chastity in the Middle Ages and A. S. Byatt: A Study. Her work on Thoreau has appeared in NEQ: New England Quarterly, the Thoreau Society Bulletin, The Concord Saunterer, and the edited volume Henry David Thoreau in Context.
| Erscheint lt. Verlag | 12.6.2026 |
|---|---|
| Zusatzinfo | 50 illus. |
| Verlagsort | Massachusetts |
| Sprache | englisch |
| Maße | 152 x 229 mm |
| Themenwelt | Sachbuch/Ratgeber ► Natur / Technik ► Natur / Ökologie |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Geschichte ► Regional- / Ländergeschichte | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Anglistik / Amerikanistik | |
| Geisteswissenschaften ► Sprach- / Literaturwissenschaft ► Literaturwissenschaft | |
| ISBN-10 | 1-62534-943-2 / 1625349432 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1-62534-943-9 / 9781625349439 |
| Zustand | Neuware |
| Informationen gemäß Produktsicherheitsverordnung (GPSR) | |
| Haben Sie eine Frage zum Produkt? |
Mehr entdecken
aus dem Bereich
aus dem Bereich
die Geschichte einer außergewöhnlichen Begegnung
Buch | Hardcover (2025)
Klett-Cotta (Verlag)
CHF 34,90
eine Geschichte der letzten 500 Jahre
Buch | Hardcover (2025)
C.H.Beck (Verlag)
CHF 47,60
die Corona-Protokolle des Robert-Koch-Instituts
Buch | Softcover (2025)
massel Verlag
CHF 31,95
