Walden

Author: Henry David Thoreau
Place and Time: 1854
Prior Knowledge: Thoreau wanted to get the most from his life by determining what was really important, and he did that by removing himself somewhat from the normal life of Concord, Massachusetts in the 1840's.
Audience: Other men who were Transcendalist or who wanted to be one with nature as Ralph Waldo Emerson was.
Reason: The simple answer is that Henry wanted to write, and needed a quieter place than the Thoreau household to do this. And he did write both A Week on the Concord and Merrimack Rivers and an early draft of Walden in his two years at the pond.
The Main Idea: We realize who exactly we are when we align ourselves with nature and do not try to defy it at all.