Primary sourceBookSeptember 1863
Thoreau's Flute
Louisa May Alcott · September 1863
An elegy written by Louisa May Alcott shortly after Thoreau's death in 1862, published as a poem in 1863.
This elegy, written soon after Thoreau's death, shows how a contemporary and fellow Concord writer mourned and remembered him.
About this source
What it is
"Thoreau's Flute" is a poem written by Louisa May Alcott in September 1863, shortly after Henry David Thoreau's death. It mourns him using the image of Pan, the mythological figure associated with nature and music.
Why it matters
This elegy is a contemporary reaction to Thoreau's death from someone who knew the Concord literary community well. It shows how Thoreau was remembered immediately after he died, as a figure connected deeply to nature, and reveals the affection his friends and neighbors felt for him.
Look closer
- Why might Alcott have compared Thoreau to the mythological figure of Pan?
- What does this poem tell you about how Thoreau's contemporaries viewed his relationship with nature?
- How might a poem written by a friend differ from a formal biography in what it reveals about a person?
This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Henry David Thoreau on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.
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