In this seminar, we will read excellent writers who engage passionately and attentively with the beauty, power, and vulnerability of nature, as well as our role in it.
In this seminar, we will explore the power and beauty of both nature and writing. Using the Norton Book of Nature Writing as a starting point, we will read essays by gifted naturalists such as Muir and Thoreau, philosophical farmers such as Wendell Berry, and insightful observers like Terry Tempest Williams. Some essays will amuse us (like Michael Pollan on weeds), others may dismay us (like Bill McKibben on “The End of Nature”), but all arise out of a passionate and attentive engagement with nature.
We will supplement the anthology with more recent responses to nature. Members of the class will be encouraged to share their favorite nature poets (like Joy Harjo, Mary Oliver, and Ada Limon), to discuss films they’ve loved (from The Biggest Little Farm to Wild Robot), and introduce the class to recent writers like Rebecca Solnit (Wanderlust), James Rebanks (A Shepherd’s Life), and Helen Macdonald (H is for Hawk).
The Norton Book of Nature Writing, eds. Robert Finch & John Elder. There are two main editions, the earlier (1990) and the “college” (2002) edition. The earlier one is easily and inexpensively available, used; the “college” edition includes more recent writers. Some of the more recent essays are available online.
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