Walden Group

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cancan
cancan
Student
High School - 11th Grade

Explain some of the literary allusions found in Walden.

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Posted by cancan on Sunday May 17, 2009 at 4:22 PM and tagged with greek mythology, literary allusions, walden.

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  1. mshurn
    mshurn Teacher
    College - Freshman

    eNotes Editor

    Thoreau's allusions are numerous, and many of them are rooted in ancient history and Greek mythology. In "Where I lived, and What I Lived For," he writes, "Olympus is but the outside of the earth everywhere." The allusion is to Mt. Olympus, the home of the gods in Greek mythology. In the same chapter, he says he wants to live "sturdily and Spartanlike." Here the allusion is to the ancient Greek state of Sparta whose people were known for denying themselves comfort and luxuries. Again in the same chapter, Thoreau writes "like pygmies we fight with cranes." This passage alludes directly to a story about pygmies in Homer's Iliad.

    Later in Walden, Thoreau alludes to the Golden Age of Greece, a mythological time of perfect peace and happiness; he also alludes to "the wealth of Croesus,"  a king in ancient times noted for his great fortune.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/walden/style
    http://www.enotes.com/walden/summary

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    Posted by mshurn on Tuesday May 19, 2009 at 9:36 AM