Quest for Walden
Subtitle: a study of the "country book" in American popular literature with an annotated bibliography, 1863 through 1995
By: by Loren C. Owings.
Publisher: McFarland
Published: 1997
Place of publication: Jefferson, N.C
Language: eng
Number of pages: 274
Subjects: Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862 -- Influence.; Thoreau, Henry David, 1817-1862.; American prose literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism.; Country life in literature.; American prose literature -- 19th century -- History and criticism.; Popular literature -- United States -- History and criticism.; Pastoral literature, American -- History and criticism.; Natural history -- United States -- Historiography.; Country life -- United States -- Historiography.; Nature in literature.
Description: Ever since Henry David Thoreau penned his masterpiece Walden - a chronicle of his two-year sojourn in the woods of Concord, Massachusetts - Americans have yearned for a return to pastoral life, to a place where the simplicities and beauty of nature dictate a quality of life not found in modern urban America. The metaphor of "Walden" inspired many to seek out and write about country life and the back-to-the-land movement in America.

This is the first book-length study of that interesting genre, the country book written primarily for urban dwellers. It gives detailed content analyses of both country-life essays and guides to country living, from 1863 through 1995.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and indexes.