Going Out for a Walk: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added

Inline

Latest revision as of 03:53, 11 June 2024

"Going Out for a Walk", is an essay by Max Beerbohm, written in 1918 and published in 1920 in the essay collection And Even Now. The essay challenges the idea that taking a walk is solely a matter of the brain needing release, and it becomes more conflicted when there is a talkative companion.

Summary

The main theme of the essay is the challenge of the common notion that taking a walk is a productive activity useful for the brain. Beerbohm, on the contrary, makes the case that taking a walk prevents the mind from intelligent thought. Beerbohm's reasoning is that while walking, you almost lose a part of your train of thought, as you are unconsciously thinking about walking. Beerbohm notes that in London the loud noises of the city save him from needing to make up excuses when someone asks him out for a walk, but the solace of the country can cause a "walk monger" to insist on talking a walk.^[1]

Not having an excuse to not take a walk causes Beerbohm to be taken from the comfort of a reading chair, which is a disruption that he finds unproductive. He claims that even the most intelligent writers lose their train of thought as soon as they start walking, and conversations eventually lead to dull topics and gossip. Beerbohm concludes the essay by claiming that he does not believe that physical exercise is bad for you ("taken moderately, it is rather good for one, physically"),^[2] but condemns taking walks that lack reason, and expresses his preference for other forms of transportation.

References

^ "Max Beerbohm's Classic Essay on 'Going Out for a Walk'". Grammar.about.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
^ "Going out for a Walk by Max Beerbohm: Summary and Analysis - ILU English". Iluenglish.com. Retrieved 17 August 2017.

[1] "Max Beerbohm's Classic Essay on 'Going Out for a Walk'". Grammar.about.com. Archived from the original on 29 December 2016. Retrieved 17 August 2017.

[2] "Going out for a Walk by Max Beerbohm: Summary and Analysis - ILU English". Iluenglish.com. Retrieved 17 August 2017.

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}
 {{Multiple issues|
-{{Essay-like|date=May 2016}}
+{{More citations needed|date=May 2016}}
-{{POV|date=May 2016}}
-{{Refimprove|date=May 2016}}
 {{Notability|date=May 2016}}
-{{Underlinked|date=March 2017}}
 {{Orphan|date=March 2017}}}}
-"'''Going Out for a Walk'''", is an essay by [[Max Beerbohm]], written in 1918 and was published in 1920 in the essay collection ''And Even Now''. The essay fights the notion that taking a walk is a matter of the brain needing release and more so conflicted when there is a talkative companion.
+"'''Going Out for a Walk'''", is an essay by [[Max Beerbohm]], written in 1918 and published in 1920 in the essay collection ''And Even Now''. The essay challenges the idea that taking a walk is solely a matter of the [[brain]] needing release, and it becomes more conflicted when there is a talkative companion.
 ==Summary==
-The main plot of the essay is the challenge of the common notion that taking a walk is a productive activity useful for brain .Beerbohm makes the case that taking a walk, on the contrary, prevents the mind from intelligent thought. Beerbohm’s reasoning is that while walking, you almost lose a part of your train of thought, as you are unconsciously thinking about walking. Beerbohm says what he misses in London being that the loud noises of the city prevent the ability of thinking during walks, but how the solace of the country can cause a “walk monger” to insist on talking a walk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/beerbohmwalk.htm|title=Max Beerbohm's Classic Essay on 'Going Out for a Walk'|website=Grammar.about.com|accessdate=17 August 2017}}</ref> Not having an excuse to not take a walk cause Beerbohm to veer from the comfort of a reading chair, which is a disruption that he finds is not progressive. He claims even the most intelligent writers lose train of thought soon as they start walking and conversations eventually lead to dull topics and gossip. The essay concludes that he does not believe that physical exercise is bad for you “taken moderately, it is rather good for one, physically”.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iluenglish.com/going-out-for-a-walk-by-max-beerbohm-summary-and-analysis/|title=Going out for a Walk by Max Beerbohm: Summary and Analysis - ILU English|website=Iluenglish.com|accessdate=17 August 2017}}</ref> but condemns taking a walk that lacks reason and would rather take another form of transportation.
+The main theme of the essay is the challenge of the common notion that taking a walk is a productive activity useful for the brain. Beerbohm, on the contrary, makes the case that taking a walk prevents the mind from intelligent thought. Beerbohm's reasoning is that while walking, you almost lose a part of your train of thought, as you are unconsciously thinking about walking. Beerbohm notes that in London the loud noises of the city save him from needing to make up excuses when someone asks him out for a walk, but the solace of the country can cause a "walk monger" to insist on talking a walk.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/beerbohmwalk.htm|title=Max Beerbohm's Classic Essay on 'Going Out for a Walk'|website=Grammar.about.com|accessdate=17 August 2017|archive-date=29 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161229021503/http://grammar.about.com/od/classicessays/a/beerbohmwalk.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref>
+Not having an excuse to not take a walk causes Beerbohm to be taken from the comfort of a reading chair, which is a disruption that he finds unproductive. He claims that even the most intelligent writers lose their train of thought as soon as they start walking, and conversations eventually lead to dull topics and gossip. Beerbohm concludes the essay by claiming that he does not believe that physical exercise is bad for you ("taken moderately, it is rather good for one, physically"),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iluenglish.com/going-out-for-a-walk-by-max-beerbohm-summary-and-analysis/|title=Going out for a Walk by Max Beerbohm: Summary and Analysis - ILU English|website=Iluenglish.com|accessdate=17 August 2017}}</ref> but condemns taking walks that lack reason, and expresses his preference for other forms of transportation.
-==Themes==
-Beerbohm infers that this is because the soul and the brain clash, the soul makes quick command to walk, the brain questions the idea were you are going as you take a walk. The soul as no answer to the destination causing the brain not to want to take part while a person takes a walk. The lack of brainpower creates dull and unintelligent conversations while making the journey of taking a walk with someone.
-You cannot just say give the simple answer of no when differing from the question of taking a walk unless they're an old friend, but when it comes down to an acquaintance you must come up with a believable excuse why not to do so.
-==Reception==
-During the 1920s when this essay was published there was a rise in economic growth, and strong support for a conservative economic system. Most artists objected to this new sense of political wealth and business society “These artists had little faith in the political leaders who came to power after the war. They felt a need to protest the way the world was changing around them.” <ref>{{cite web|url=http://learningenglish.voanews.com/content/american-history-the-1920s-were-an-active-and-important-period-for-the-american-arts-112975584/115980.html|title=American History: 1920s Were a Big Time for the Arts|website=Learningenglish.voanews.com|accessdate=17 August 2017}}</ref>
-Beerbohm was brutally honest as a writer and believed that if you imposed being unlikeable, people will like you based on honesty and similarities to the “common man”. Unlikeable details show honesty in writing, and people relate as long as it doesn’t “alienate the reader”.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bookslut.com/an_attempt/2013_03_020018.php|title=Bookslut - Max Beerbohm is Cranky: On the Appeal of the Curmudgeon|website=Bookslut.com|accessdate=17 August 2017}}</ref>
-Beerbohm accomplished this balance so perfectly that it seems deliberate, as though he carefully constructed a character with exactly the right kind of flaws: the [[Misanthropy|curmudgeon]].
 ==References==
 {{reflist}}
 [[Category:Essays by Max Beerbohm]]
 [[Category:British essays]]