Lakes of Light: Modes of Representation in Walden‪.‬

"The Ponds" chapter of Walden, more than halfway through the book, presents our first extended and particularized view of the Walden landscape. In this essay, the author considers modes of representation in this pivotal chapter, which has traditionally been seen as the "mythic" or "mystical" center of Walden. Here it is viewed instead as a chapter seeking equilibrium as much as ecstasy, in which "description" rather than Transcendental symbolism makes itself felt as the dominant, and stabilizing, modality. In this view, various kinds of description, in their interaction, create the engine of the chapter's development, and ultimately lead to a sense of plurality, aggregation, and inclusiveness appropriate to the chapter's commitment to "the wild luxuriant beauty of Nature." **********