20C Amer Nature Writing

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course examines key twentieth-century texts in the American tradition of writing about human relationships with the natural world. We will read canonical non-fiction nature writing by authors such as Also Leopold and Rachel Carson and we will tackle fiction that addresses environmental issues by authors not usually considered to be nature writers. The course assumes that nature is a social and linguistic construct and that depictions of the land and its inhabitants both reflect and influence the way Americans relate to the natural world. Aiming to deconstruct dualisms such as human/nature and civilization/wilderness, the course will explore a variety of questions: How is nature represented in the books we read? What characterizes nature writing as a genre? How have concepts of nature and wilderness changed over the century? How do contemporary environmental events and perceived crises impact the literary imagination? What relationship do the texts suggest between environmental degradation and human exploitation? To help us make sense of this literature, we will read ecologically informed criticism by scholars from interdisciplinary fields. In addition, we will write our own creative pieces inspired by the texts we are reading as another way to understand and appreciate nature writing.