Thoreau in Love

HENRY IN LOVE

A Thoreau Tableau Vivant

Introductory Notes.

The premise of this tableau vivant (literally, a “living picture”) involving Henry Thoreau (1817-1862) , Emily Dickinson (1830-1886), the Bhagavad-Gita and a narrator is that a general audience, hearing their words read aloud, may connect with this literature more readily than by reading the separate works, or by reading about particular works. My hope is that the listeners may thus be inspired to look into the original texts, all of which are readily accessible. Why these three? In my case it is rooted in Professor Paul Friedrich’s course on Thoreau and the Gita in the Graham School, Master of Liberal Arts Program at the University of Chicago. As presented in the Winter Quarter of 2007 this course included a sprinkling of work by other writers, including several of Dickinson’s poems which Professor Friedrich brought to class. It occurred to me midway through the term what good companions these three make in several ways. First, Thoreau had Charles Wilkins’ 1785 translation of the Gita (the first in the English language) with him during his two years -- 1845-1847 -- at Walden Pond. He repeatedly refers to this narrative in his journal, as well as in the two books published after his time at the Pond - A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers (1849) and Walden; or, Life in the Woods (1854). Thoreau’s mentor, Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), had introduced Thoreau to the Gita around 1840, and they (Thoreau and the Gita, but not always Thoreau and Emerson) remained lifelong friends and companions. The central, unifying theme of both Walden and the Gita I take to be the promotion of a spirit of conscious detachment, not letting affairs and concerns of daily life stand in the way of living in harmony with the natural world, taking only sustenance from it, and living with an appreciation for nature which will surely come to anyone who takes the time to look closely at what is neither made nor manipulated by man. At a more abstract level it is suggested that the Gita presented to Emerson, Thoreau and their colleagues in what came to be called the transcendental movement an alternative to 18^th Century rationalism and 19^th Century materialism, as well as an antidote to the Puritan and Calvinist traditions which had worn thin among a good portion of the New England intelligentsia of their time.

Emily Dickinson is included in this Tableau because of strong thematic parallels between her poetry and Thoreau’s writings, particularly their resistance to social convention and pretentious custom, a disdain for material or worldly pursuits and for whatever they regarded as tainted by hypocrisy. Also, Thoreau’s works are almost entirely male-focused. Women are seldom mentioned and never given a place of prominence or even relevance. For example, according to a search I conducted on the website www.online-literature.com/booksearch.php, in all of Walden the words female, sister, mother, girl, wife and woman appear in relation to a member of the opposite sex only 13 times, and never in relation to a specific individual. Dickinson, born 13 years after Thoreau, probably knew who he was, but there is no record of their ever having met. Still, she was likely influenced by aspects of his thought and shared his disregard for contemporary social convention. Thus Dickinson’s principal biographer, Richard B. Sewall (1908 – 2003, detailed reference in Bibliography) notes that Thoreau’s Walden is one of 30 books from the Dickinson household library later removed to the Dickinson Collection in the Houghton Library at Harvard which contain markings or notches presumptively made by Dickinson herself. In Dickinson we have not only the mid-19^th Century perspective of a thoughtful woman, but also that of a person who lived mostly indoors in contrast to Thoreau’s preference for the outdoors. Finally, we have the contrast of Thoreau’s superb multi-layered prose and Dickinson’s poignant and sometimes enigmatic poetic expression. While Thoreau wrote poetry as well, the quality of his prose is beyond question, as is the quality of Dickinson’s poetry. Emerson didn’t think much of Thoreau’s fairly flowery poetry, and to a 21^st Century eye much the same can be of Emerson’s. Most of Dickinson sounds quite modern to this reader. Note in the selections included in the Tableau that Dickinson’s poems often take an odd and unexpected turn just at their end.

This presentation in an oral format. The custom of reading most literary works from printed versions is barely two centuries old. Thoreau was a rhetorician, a skilled public speaker, as were Emerson and others in New England letters at the time. Public lectures were a common form of both entertainment and public education. Many of Thoreau’s thoughts were first recorded in his extensive journal and later, in more polished form, expressed in public meetings, writings and addresses. It is not difficult in reading Walden to think of Thoreau reciting his written words aloud. The Bhagavad-Gita is grounded in the oral literary tradition of the Indian subcontinent reaching back well more than 2,000 years. The Gita came eventually to be written down in a number of scripts comprising the Sanskrit language, but no one seems to know very precisely when or by whom this first occurred. It seems likely that prior to 400 BCE the Bhagavad-Gita was not be found in written form, and by 200 CE it had been recorded in several Sanskrit scripts. Here is what Gita scholar Winthrop Sargeant [see annotated Bibliography at the end of this paper] says in the introductory pages to his own translation of the Gita:

The written, as opposed to the spoken [Sanskrit] language dates only from about 300 B.C., and even then very little was written down. . . . The bulk of Sanskrit literature was not written down until well into the Christian era. . . . Sanskrit is the only ancient language the exact pronunciation of which is known today. . . . The Bhagavad Gita in its written form at any rate, is generally thought to date from the second or third century A.D., . . .

Thus for many centuries the Hindu public would have known of the Gita only through recitation. Mahatma Ghandi (1869 – 1848) is said to have started many days with a morning ritual of walking about publicly reciting passages from the Gita. Of course there is no record of any of Dickinson’s poetry being publicly recited, mainly because only a very small portion was even published or known about in her lifetime. However, her poetry lends itself to oral rendition, particularly by a person who is emulating the presumed persona and bearing of a living Dickinson.

As to the particular passages selected here for recitation, my only objective has been to give a fair picture of major themes and how they can be connected in the three sources. Fortunately, these source materials are not strictly linear works with exact beginnings, middle portions and endings. Thus random readings of any of the three authors or works can be as rewarding as starting at any particular point. The final objective is to provide a narrative which can be read aloud by the players in about an hour as the presumed outer limit of effective audience attention without a break or intermission. It would be perfectly possible to provide a more extended version with might run to an hour and a half or more, with an intermission, but that is not the present undertaking.

The stage setting.

Henry David Thoreau is seated Stage Right. He sits on a well-worn Windsor rocking chair in front of the semblance of a primitive cabin. [I had three chairs in my house; one for solitude, two for friendship, and three for society. Walden – Visitors. Note: Thoreau’s rocker, built ca. 1815, was acquired by the Concord Museum in 1873.] It is not necessary to construct an elaborate cabin semblage. A few well-positioned plants, an iron cook pot, a small stack of firewood, all strategically placed near where the Thoreau figure is seated are sufficient to create the impression. Thoreau holds a notebook and writing instrument. He may also on occasion pick up a small flute and play simple melodies. Thoreau’s flute is also in the Concord Museum. It was made in Albany, NY around 1820 and belonged originally to his father, John. Thoreau’s interest in what may be termed natural and spontaneous music is well documented in his writings. An excellent reference source regarding Thoreau and music is Kenneth W. Rhoads article, “Thoreau: The Ear and the Music” in American Literature, Vol. 46, No. 3, November, 1974. As lead-in and introductory background music, I suggest using excerpts from the ‘Thoreau’ section of Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata which may be heard in the background as the Tableau opens.

A book or two and manuscript folders may be seen at Thoreau’s side. His rustic dress and straw hat are in keeping with the mid-19^th Century setting near Concord and Walden Pond in rural Massachusetts. He should appear rather unkempt in keeping with his disdain for external impressions. The photographic record of Thoreau is sparse and postdates Thoreau’s time at Walden. Emerson wrote in his 1862 eulogy:

He wore straw hat, stout shoes, strong gray trousers, to brave shrub-oaks and smilax, and to climb a tree for a hawk’s or a squirrel’s nest. . . . His senses were acute, his frame well-knit and hardy, his hands strong and skillful in the use of tools. And there was a wonderful fitness of body and mind.

Contrast Emerson’s description with that of Nathaniel Hawthorne who wrote of Thoreau in his journal for September 1, 1842:

Mr. Thoreau dined with us yesterday. He is a singular character – a young man with much of wild original nature still remaining in him; . . . He is ugly as sin, long-nosed, queer-mouthed, and with uncouth and somewhat rustic, although courteous manners, corresponding very well with such an exterior. But his ugliness is of an honest and agreeable fashion, and becomes him much better than beauty. . . . for two or three years back, he has repudiated all regular modes of getting a living, and seems inclined to lead a sort of Indian life among civilized men – an Indian life, I mean, as respects the absence of any systematic effort for a livelihood.

Emily Dickinson is seated Stage Center at a writing table with a kerosene lamp or a candle and a vase of fresh flowers. She is dressed ideally in a white dress of cotton or linen, but in upper middle-class daytime fashion appropriate to the era of New England, ca. 1850. She is usually pictured with her hair bound tightly to the sides and parted in the middle. She holds a writing pen in hand and manuscript sheets are on the table. She continues throughout to write, and when she speaks, it is as if she were reading to herself something she has just written or has selected from recently completed material. An extended scholarly discussion of Emily Dickinson’s views regarding apparel and appearance can be found in an article in The Emily Dickinson Journal, Vol. XIV, No. 2 (Fall, 2005). The article, by Daneen Wardrop, is titled “The Body’s Body: Dickinson’s Fashions and Amplitude.” Because of her reclusivity for much or her life, there is a scant photographic record of Dickinson.

Krishna and Arjuna are at Stage Left. Krishna is in garb appropriate to a charioteer of ca. 400-200 BCE; Arjuna wears the dress of a warrior (such as a helmet, and breastplate) with sword, bow and arrow as appropriate to warfare of the time and circumstance. In the writer’s conception, Krishna is seated in a chair (or semblance of a chariot) with his hands on the reins of imaginary horses. Arjuna stands just behind or is seated to the side of Krishna, as if in a ready position on the chariot and about to enter battle. Several Gita websites include illustrations of artists’ conceptions of the Gita setting. See, e.g. www.asitis.com/gallery .

The Narrator may stand at Center Stage or somewhat to Stage Right at a podium. When not speaking, he/she may move offstage or to the side. The dress of the narrator may be basic black, or whatever does not call attention to his/her person or suggest any specific time or circumstance. The Narrator is speaking to the audience at the present time. The other players are speaking from their works in their own time and setting.

Lighting and Presentation. Each of the dramatis personae is visible at all times to the audience, but held in dim light until they speak, at which time they are illuminated as far as possible. When not speaking they are to be essentially motionless, except that Dickinson may be observed writing. If the narrative warrants, any of the players may exhibit particular interest in what someone else is saying by the movement of their bodies or by their facial expressions, as if each of them was hearing everything said by the others. However, these reactions should be used sparingly so as not to detract from the speakers.

End of Introductory Notes

* * * * *

START OF THE TABLEAU VIVANT

[Lights emphasize Narrator and Thoreau figures. In the

background is the sound of the Thoreau movement

from Charles Ives’ Concord Sonata.]

DRAMATIS PERSONAE:

Narrator

Henry Thoreau

Emily Dickinson

Krishna

Arjuna

NARRATOR.

Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen. Much of what you are about to see and hear is presented exactly as it was conceived and written, in part more than 2,000 years ago, and in part a mere 150 or so years past. Our object is both to entertain and to inform. That is, to present something which may be of significance in your own life, and hopefully not put you to sleep. For a few moments please put the modern world aside, including all cell phones, pagers and the like. Pacemakers and locator alarms on ankles are excepted.

In the early months of 1845 Henry [David] Thoreau decided to move from the home he shared in Concord, Massachusetts with his family to a site at nearby Walden Pond. We will call him, simply ‘Thoreau’ or Henry Thoreau, as it is said that no one called him Henry David Thoreau during his lifetime, as some modern scholars and teachers do. Thoreau was 28 years old in 1845 and a graduate of Harvard College. He had worked locally as a school teacher, as a surveyor and skilled handyman, and with his father in a pencil making enterprise.

Thoreau was a younger friend and protégée of Ralph Waldo Emerson, also of Concord, then in his early 40s and arguably already the preeminent American intellectual of the time. Emerson owned the land by Walden Pond where Thoreau decided to build his cabin, having purchased eleven acres next to Walden Pond in 1844 for $8.10 per acre.

Listen carefully and you will even hear about a connection between Thoreau and the City of Chicago, Illinois. Here are two physical descriptions of Thoreau from very different times and circumstances. The first is from Emerson’s eulogy at Thoreau’s 1862 funeral:

[Insert from above, p. 7]

The second is earlier in time, by Nathaniel Hawthorne from an 1842 journal entry:

[Insert from above, p. 7]

THOREAU.

When I wrote the following pages, . . . , I lived alone, in the woods, a mile from any neighbor, in a house which I had built myself, on the shore of Walden Pond, in Concord, Massachusetts, and earned my living by the labor of my hands only. I lived there two years and two months. . . . Some have asked what I got to eat; if I did not feel lonesome; if I was not afraid; and the like. . . . I should not talk so much about myself if there were any body else whom I knew as well. . . . [Walden, Economy]

I have traveled a good deal in Concord; and every where, in shops, and offices, and fields, the inhabitants have appeared to me to be doing penance in a thousand remarkable ways. . . . I see young men, my townsmen, whose misfortune it is to have inherited farms, houses, barns, cattle, and farming tools; for these are more easily acquired than got rid of. . . . But men labor under a mistake. The better part of the man is soon ploughed into the soil for compost. . . . Most men, even in this comparatively free country, through mere ignorance and mistake, are so occupied with the factitious cares and superfluously coarse labors of life that its finer fruits cannot be plucked by them. . . . . It is hard to have a southern overseer; it is worse to have a northern one; but worst of all when you are the slave-driver of yourself. . . . [Walden, Economy]

The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. . . . It is never too late to give up our prejudices. No way of thinking or doing, however ancient, can be trusted without proof. . . . Practically, the old have no very important advice to give the young, . . . I have lived some thirty years on this planet, and I have yet to hear the first syllable of valuable or even earnest advice from my seniors.

[Walden, Economy]

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary.