Walden and Werewolves

[Abishai100]

Henry David Thoreau's naturalism-experimentation book, "Walden" [1854] is a representation of the literary movement known as the American Romantic period.

In this book, Thoreau describes the simple pleasures of living close to nature (earth, trees, grass, Animalia, etc.) and the dignity wrought from self-reliance while actually living in the woods in a small cabin at the edge of town near his family home.

Walden is an exposition in naturalism mysticism and rugged transcendentalism. It suggests that daydreams are related to an image of man's connection to meditation.

There are many qualities that make America unique: jazz, multi-culturalism, environmental diversity (i.e., mountains, prairies, beaches, etc.), populism fervor, capitalism spirit, vaudeville (i.e., Hollywood), etc.

However, two qualities that stand out as part of the 'American experience' are comic book enthusiasm and horror film enthusiasm.

American comic book superheroes such as Daredevil (Marvel Comics) capture a social fascination with derring-do and populism energy and reveal a curiosity about risk and adventure. Likewise, American horror films such as "Halloween" [1978] and "A Nightmare on Elm Street [1984] reveal a social curiosity about experience entropy.

Comic books and horror films expound on an American interest in anarchy meditation (i.e., vigilantism, paranoia, etc.).

Mysticism-paranoia comic book super-villains such as Doctor Doom (Marvel Comics) are not unlike mysticism-paranoia American horror film characters such as Pinhead (Clive Barker).

To appreciate the symbolic value of comic books and horror films, we could assess the connections between nature-culture (i.e., Walden) and adventure-deification (i.e., Halloween).

Werewolves, for example, comprise important folkloric dominions in pulp fiction and mysticism in both naturalism and horror-adventure in American art, and sanity-entropy Hollywood (USA) films such as "Wolf" [1994] reflect this.

A werewolf is a half-man, half-wolf creature who signifies a daring connection with nature that borders on incredible transformation and horror.

What would Thoreau have said about relevant horror-themed American comic book super-villains such as Sabretooth (Marvel Comics), a vicious man-beast with a taste for mayhem?






Walden

Werewolf

Sabretooth

[Sculpt]

Originally Posted by Abishai100

Henry David Thoreau's naturalism-experimentation book, "Walden" [1854] is a representation of the literary movement known as the American Romantic period.

...

Walden is an exposition in naturalism mysticism and rugged transcendentalism.

Interesting essay. I see what mean about many of these influences embedded in the horror genre and comic books.

I just want to point out (in reaction to your oft cornucopic mix of "isms")...

Technically, Naturism is the opposite of mysticism, and not a friend to romanticism and Transcendentalism. Strictly speaking naturalism means nothing exists except the natural (physical) world... at the time meaning only things concrete and physically testable -- that nothing else exists, and should not be spoken of; largely inspired by Darwinism. Really, Transcendentalists rebelled against that, & other, restraints.

Emerson wrote, "We will walk on our own feet; we will work with our own hands; we will speak our own minds...A nation of men will for the first time exist, because each believes himself inspired by the Divine Soul which also inspires all men."


On a side note, the study of the physical world, and it's use in explaining existence & it's use in literature/arts has forever been embraced by those who also embrace the universe of things that may yet be untestable in laboratory settings or so-called objectively observed.

[Lord Voldemort]

High quality writing mate; reading it hearkened me back to my first college composition class. For this, I award you 20 Harold Bloom points!