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Wanderlust
A History of Walking
First published 2000 · 472 pages
A lyrical, intellectual stroll through the history, philosophy, and politics of putting one foot in front of the other.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels exactly like taking a long, unhurried walk with a brilliantly observant friend. The pace is decidedly meandering, allowing you to wander down associative paths that connect ancient Greek philosophers, Romantic poets, and modern urban design. It wraps you in a thoughtful, expansive mood, grounding you in the physical reality of your own body while simultaneously elevating your mind. The prose is lyrical and erudite, demanding that you slow down and savor the rhythm of the sentences just as you would a scenic trail. It is a perfect match for psychogeographers, nature writers, and anyone who has ever felt that their best thinking happens when they are in motion, offering a profound new appreciation for the simple act of stepping outside.
- Mood
- expansive
- grounded
- thoughtful
- observant
- Tone
- contemplative
- intellectual
- lyrical
- inquisitive
- passionate
- Pace
- meandering
- Themes
- the rhythm of thought · politics of public space · mind-body connection · nature vs urbanization · freedom and mobility
- The writing
- Lyrical, erudite, and deeply associative, weaving history, philosophy, and personal reflection into elegant, winding sentences.
- The arc
- Begins with a simple curiosity about a daily habit and expands into a profound, urgent appreciation for the freedom of moving through the world.
- Who it's for
- Thinkers, wanderers, and lovers of cultural history who enjoy essays that transform mundane human acts into profound philosophical inquiries.
Content notes
- discussions of gender-based violence
- environmental degradation
About the book
"In Wanderlust: A History of Walking, Rebecca Solnit draws together many histories -- of anatomical evolution and city design, of treadmills and labyrinths, of walking clubs and sexual mores -- to create a portrait of the range of possibilities for this most basic act. Arguing that walking as history signifies walking for pleasure and for political, aesthetic, and social meaning, Solnit hones in on the walkers whose everyday and extreme acts have shaped our culture, from the peripatetic philosophers of ancient Greece to the poets of the Romantic Age, from the perambulations of the Surrealists to the ascents of the mountaineers." "Solnit's book finds a profound relationship between walking and thinking, walking and culture, and argues for the necessity of preserving the time and space in which to walk in an evermore automobile-dependent and accelerated world. Book jacket."--BOOK JACKET.
Description from Open Library.
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