Abstract

Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862) was a famous American transcendentalist, philosopher, naturalist and writer in the 19th century. His superb book, Walden, a record of two years and two months that he spent alone in the woods near Concord, Massachusetts, is viewed as one of the finest prose works in American literature.
In recent years, human beings are facing more and more deteriorating environmental problems, such as sandstorms and greenhouse effects, which are the nature’s punishment on human society. It’s self-evident that the relationship between human beings and nature is increasingly intense. Therefore, it’s essential for humans to consider how to establish the harmonious relationship between man and nature,and how to live an ideal life. So today sees wider recognition, more studies, and deeper understanding of Thoreau’s Walden. This thesis focuses on the analysis of Thoreau's complicated view on nature and life, trying to find out its implications for modern people who are suffering from environmental and spiritual crises.
Thoreau is the leading pioneer of American Transcendentalism, his book Walden is a book full of transcendental philosophy and life philosophy. This paper analyzes Thoreau’s Transcendentalism from the aspects of nature, self-reliance, and illustrates the thoughts of “What I live for”, “Returning to Simplicity”,and “Pursuit of Spiritual Freedom” of Thoreau’s life view, and illuminates Thoreau’s view of returning to nature and environmental protection. A conclusion can be drawn that nature is both our living people home and spiritual home;human beings should respect nature and keep a harmonious relationship between man and nature;we should return to nature, and live a simple material life and a rich spiritual life. Thoreau has set a good example for modern outwardly simple and inwardly rich life.

Key words: Thoreau  Walden  transcendentalism  nature  man and nature relationship

摘要

  亨利·大卫·梭罗(1817-1862)是十九世纪美国著名的超验主义作家，哲学家和自然主义作家。他独自一人在马塞诸塞州康科德的瓦尔登湖畔度过了两年零两个月，之后他根据自己的经历，写了被认为是美国文学史上最优美的散文之一的《瓦尔登湖》。
 近年来，人类面临着越来越恶化的环境问题，诸如沙尘暴、温室效应，这些都是自然对人类社会的惩罚。很显然，人类和自然的关系越来越严峻。因此，对人类来说，建立一个和谐的人与自然的关系以及建造一个理想化的生活尤其的重要。因此当代的人们对梭罗的《瓦尔登湖》赋予了更多的重视、更详细的研究以及更深刻的理解。本文着重对梭罗的《瓦尔登湖》中所蕴含的自然观和生活观进行分析，旨在发现其对正处于环境与精神危机的现代人的启示。
梭罗是美国超验主义的首要践行者，他的《瓦尔登湖》也是一本充满超验主义哲学和生活哲学的著作。本文从重视自然、自助分析了梭罗的超验主义思想，从“人应该为什么而活”、“回归简朴”、“追求精神自由”这三个思想层面阐述了梭罗的生活观，继而阐明了梭罗在回归自然和环境保护方面所体现的自然观，最后得出结论：自然既是人类生活的家园，又是人类心灵的归宿。人类应该敬畏自然，回归自然，和自然和谐共处。梭罗外表简朴但内心丰富的生活是现代人生活的典范。

关键词：梭罗 瓦尔登湖 超验主义哲学观 自然 精神 人与自然的关系