Literature and Place: Writing the Land Around Us
Literature and Place: Writing the Land Around Us
(04) Literature and Place: Writing the Land Around Us - Daniel Bourne, Department of English
Along with Henry David Thoreau, many American writers have chosen to explore their surrounding natural world and its intersections with their selves and societies. We, too, will embark on such an exploration of writing and place, both on and off the page, with close reading of such works as Thoreau’s Walden, Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek, William Least Heat-Moon’s Blue Highways, and Bill McKibben’s The End of Nature. In addition, we will experiment with different writing approaches, ranging from the lyrical and descriptive to the analytical and argumentative. As writers and thinkers, we will delve not only into nature and travel writing, but also address environmental issues and “politics of place.” Finally, our definition of land will be an expanded one, including urban environments as well as rural ones, Chicago neighborhoods as well as Appalachian streams. The seminar will also involve field trips to local natural areas and the surrounding Amish community, including a visit to Amish farmer and nature writer David Kline as well as to the Kidron Livestock Auction.