April 8.
At the Lyceum the other night I felt that the lecturer had chosen a theme too foreign to himself and so failed to interest me as much as formerly. He described things not in or near to his heart, but toward his extremities and superficies. The poet deals with his privatest experience. There was no central nor centralizing thought in the lecture.
At the Lyceum the other night I felt that the lecturer had chosen a theme too foreign to himself and so failed to interest me as much as formerly. He described things not in or near to his heart, but toward his extremities and superficies. The poet deals with his privatest experience. There was no central nor centralizing thought in the lecture.
I find that I can criticise my composition best when I stand at a little distance from it, — when I do not see it, for instance. I make a little chapter of contents which enables me to recall it page by page to my mind, and judge it more impartially when my manuscript is out of the way.
The distraction of surveying enables me rapidly to take new points of view. A day or two surveying is equal to a journey.
The distraction of surveying enables me rapidly to take new points of view. A day or two surveying is equal to a journey.
H. D. Thoreau, Journal, April 8, 1854
At the Lyceum... See Life without Principle.
I find that I can criticise my composition best when I stand at a little distance from it. See March 1, 1854 (" In correcting my manuscripts, . . . having purified the main body and thus created a distinct standard for comparison, I can review the rejected sentences and easily detect those which deserve to be readmitted."); February 20, 1859 ("In the composition it is the greatest art to find out as quickly as possible which are the best passages you have written, and tear the rest away").
The distraction of surveying enables me rapidly to take new points of view. See December 13, 1851 ("This varied employment, to which my necessities compel me, serves instead of foreign travel and the lapse of time."); April 12, 1854 ("It is from out the shadow of my toil that I look into the light.")
At the Lyceum... See Life without Principle.
I find that I can criticise my composition best when I stand at a little distance from it. See March 1, 1854 (" In correcting my manuscripts, . . . having purified the main body and thus created a distinct standard for comparison, I can review the rejected sentences and easily detect those which deserve to be readmitted."); February 20, 1859 ("In the composition it is the greatest art to find out as quickly as possible which are the best passages you have written, and tear the rest away").
The distraction of surveying enables me rapidly to take new points of view. See December 13, 1851 ("This varied employment, to which my necessities compel me, serves instead of foreign travel and the lapse of time."); April 12, 1854 ("It is from out the shadow of my toil that I look into the light.")
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