Ellery on Henry

"His journals should not be permitted to be read by any, as I

think they were not meant to be read. I alone might read them
intelligently. To most others they would only give false
impressions. I have never been able to understand what he
meant by his life. Why did he care so much about being a writer?
Why did he pay so much attention to his own thoughts? Why
was he so dissatisfied with everyone else, etc? Why was he so
much interested in the river and the woods and the sky, etc?"

Something peculiar, I judge.

- Ellery Channing, friend of Thoreau's


I have often wondered this, what would Thoreau think of us reading his journals? I love reading them and getting into them they are so thought provoking. I love his observations and the way he thinks about every intricate thing. He thinks so deeply, and looks so far into and examines very part of life down to the cellular level. I get into that. Such a brilliant mind. But I'm not certain he would approve of the world reading his thoughts, also I'm not convinced we interpret them as he meant, even the greatest scholar I believe is flawed in some way. I mean really how could you know what he was thinking, feeling, enduring, what was pressing on his mind, who was he thinking about, was he thinking about anyone, when he wrote his thoughts down? What was his mood, the weather, what was he looking at, where was he, what was on his mind? I have such deep respect for Thoreau. I believe him to be a very private, intelligent, deeply loving and caring person. I have enormous respect him. As did Ellery.


And of course I could be completely off track here.