Animal Quote by Henry David Thoreau
“English literature, from the days of the minstrels to the Lake Poets,--Chaucer and Spenser and Milton, and even Shakespeare, included,--breathes no quite fresh and, in this sense, wild strain. It is an essentially tame and civilized literature, reflecting Greece and Rome. Her wildness is a greenwood, her wild man a Robin Hood. There is plenty of genial love of Nature, but not so much of Nature herself. Her chronicles inform us when her wild animals, but not the wild man in her, became extinct.”
About This Quote
Source Essay: "Civil Disobedience", 1849
He critiques English literature as overly tame, lacking true wildness.
In simple terms: English lit is too civilized, missing raw nature.
Key Takeaway
Seek authentic, untamed experiences.
Themes
literature
civilization
nature
wildness
Mood
thoughtful
analytical
Type
literary
philosophical
When to use this quote
- education
- creative writing
- nature immersion
Key Concepts
Romanticism
cultural critique
environmental philosophy
Questions to Reflect On
- How does civilization shape artistic expression?
- Can modern writers recapture wild spirit?
A Different Perspective
Classical works still inspire; not all readers seek wildness.
