Zusammenfassung
Zusammenfassung von Cape Cod
Go deeper: the whole of Cape Cod
About 5 h 20 min to read.Für wen es gedacht ist
For readers who love walking books, sea and shore writing, and New England history told with dry humor. It will delight anyone who loved Walden and wants to meet a different Thoreau.
Worum es in diesem Buch geht
Imagine walking miles of empty beach with the whole Atlantic roaring beside you. That is Henry David Thoreau's Cape Cod, the account of his walks along the outer shore of the bent arm of land that reaches out from Massachusetts. He made three trips, in 1849, 1850 and 1855. The book came out in 1865, three years after he died. It moves from grief to comedy to wonder, and it shows a landscape most people thought dull as something large.
In dieser Zusammenfassung
- 1Thoreau Goes to the Edge of AmericaFree
- 2A Shipwreck Shows the Sea's Indifference
- 3The Stage Coach Reveals Cape Life
- 4Nauset Holds the Cape's Earliest History
- 5An Old Oysterman Tells Tall Tales
- 6The Great Beach Is a Wild Frontier
- 7The Lighthouse Offers a View of the Edge
- 8Sand and Sea Make Two Wildernesses
- 9Provincetown Ends the Walk and Leaves a Legacy
Punkt 1 von 9
Thoreau Goes to the Edge of America
Thoreau is known around Concord as a surveyor, a pencil maker and the man who lived by Walden Pond. In October 1849 he sets out for Cape Cod with a companion. The Cape is a sandy place with little soil and few trees. Thoreau wants to see for himself.
He returns in 1850 and again in 1855. He takes notes on plants, birds, weather and the talk of the people he meets. Along the way he reads old histories to fill in the past.
The book is a series of walks and rides, with jokes, detours and sudden deep thoughts. What he hopes to find is the sea, a great wilderness close to the doorstep of the cities.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
- Nothing to pay today · Renews every year
- We email you before you pay
- Cancel online in two clicks
Go deeper: the whole of Cape Cod
About 5 h 20 min to read.Questions about Cape Cod
What is Cape Cod by Thoreau about?
It is Thoreau's account of walking and riding through Cape Cod, based on three trips between 1849 and 1855. He writes about the shore, the sea, local people, shipwrecks and the Pilgrims, mixing nature study, history and humor.
When was Cape Cod by Thoreau published?
It was published in 1865, three years after Thoreau died. Parts had appeared in magazines earlier. It is a true travel account, based on his visits in 1849, 1850 and 1855.
Who is the oysterman in Cape Cod?
He is about ninety and full of stories about the Cape's past, some of them plainly tall tales, and Thoreau records his talk with affection.
Is Cape Cod hard to read compared with Walden?
It is easier in some ways, because it follows a journey and has many funny scenes and people. The prose is clear and lively.
What is the main message of Cape Cod?
Thoreau suggests that wild, plain places teach us more than comfort does. The sea is vast and indifferent, and a close look at a humble shore can show history, nature and our own small place in the world.
Cite this edition
Thoreau, Henry David. Cape Cod. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/cape-cod.
Thoreau, H. D. (2026). Cape Cod. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/cape-cod (Original work published 1865)
Thoreau, Henry David. Cape Cod. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/cape-cod.
@book{thoreau2026cape,
author = {Thoreau, Henry David},
title = {Cape Cod},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/cape-cod},
note = {First published 1865}
}
