The West Side of Any Mountain: Place, Space, and Ecopoetry

167 Pages·2005·2.46 MB·English

by  J. Scott Bryson

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of related interest literary studies | ecocriticism s
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place, space, and ecopoetry
Thoreau’s Sense of Place: Informed in general by current thinking in envi- t

b by J. Scott Bryson
Essays in American ronmental theory and specifi cally by the work of r
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Environmental Writing cultural geographer Yi-Fu Tuan, The West Side s
o In contrast to nature poets of the past who
edited by n
of Any Mountain off ers an overarching theoreti- tended more toward the bucolic and pastoral,
Richard J. Schneider
cal framework with which to approach ecopoet- many contemporary nature poets are tak-
isbn 0-87745-720-4 paper
ics, specifi cally off ering fresh readings of the ing up radical environmental and ecological
Walt Whitman and the T themes. In the last few years, interesting and
work of four major ecopoets: Wendell Berry,
Earth: A Study in Ecopoetics h evocative work that examines this poetry has
Joy Harjo, Mary Oliver, and W. S. Merwin.
by M. Jimmie Killingsworth e begun to lay the foundation for studies in
isbn 0-87745-903-7 cloth ecopoetics.
“Scott Bryson’s study of contemporary ecopoetry W
Informed in general by current thinking
is a remarkably original and nourishing one. The
e in environmental theory and specifi cally by
y comparisons between Berry and Harjo, Oliver s the work of cultural geographer Yi-Fu Tuan,
aile and Merwin are especially illuminating, and the t The West Side of Any Mountain participates
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n closing refl ection on Thoreau is a knockout. The in and furthers this scholarly attention by of-
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jo West Side of Any Mountain will have a lasting im- d The fering an overarching theoretical framework
e with which to approach the fi eld.
pact on my own reading and teaching of poetry.”
Scott Bryson is an associate professor of o One area that contemporary theorists have
— John Elder, author of Reading the
English at Mount St. Mary’s College in Los f found problematic is the dualistic civiliza-
Angeles. He has edited or co-edited several Mountains of Home and The Frog Run A p l a c e, tion/wilderness binary that focuses on the
collections of criticism on nature writing, divisions between culture and nature, thereby
Bryson’s carefully nuanced readings of Berry, n
including Ecopoetry: A Critical Introduction, West Side increasing the modern sense of alienation.
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Twentieth-Century American Nature Poetry, Harjo, Oliver, and Merwin not only celebrate the Tuan’s place-space framework off ers a suc-
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and Twentieth-Century American Nature beauty and moral vision of ecological poetry but cinct vocabulary for describing the attitudes
Writing: Prose. His current scholarship fo- also capture its resonance with conceptions of of ecological poets and other nature writers
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s p a c e, a n d
cuses on urban theory and culture, primarily space and place explored by philosophers such u in a way that avoids setting up an adversarial
as it relates to the phenomenon of Los Ange- relation-ship between place and space. Scott
as Keith Basso, Yi-Fu Tuan, and David Abram. n of Any
les literature. Bryson describes the Tuanian framework and
t
A lively, sensitive book that refreshes the spirit
a employs it to off er fresh readings of the work
as it delights the mind.” i
n of four major ecopoets: Wendell Berry, Joy
— John A. Tallmadge, author of e c o p o e t r y Harjo, Mary Oliver, and W. S. Merwin.
The Cincinnati Arch The West Side of Any Mountain will be of
Mountain great interest to scholars and teachers work-
ing in the fi eld of contemporary nature po-
university of iowa press
etry. It is recommended for nature-writing
Iowa City, Iowa 52242 courses as well as classes dealing with
twentieth-century poetry, contemporary
j. s c o t t b r y s o n
literary criticism, and environmental
Jacket photo: © Jerry Whaley theory.
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Bryson jkt mechanical 1 7/27/05 10:48:26 AM
The West Side of Any Mountain
Bryson-book 1 8/4/05 12:43:46 PM
The West Side of Any Mountain
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The West Side of Any Mountain
Place, Space,
and Ecopoetry
J. Scott Bryson
University of Iowa Press Iowa City

Bryson-book 3 8/4/05 12:43:46 PM
University of Iowa Press, Iowa City 52242
http://www.uiowa.edu/uiowapress
Copyright © 2005 by the University of Iowa Press
All rights reserved
Printed in the United States of America
Design by April Leidig-Higgins
A shorter version of chapter 3 appeared in the Fall 2002 issue (27.3)
of MELUS: Multi-Ethnic Literature of the United States. Used with
permission.
Chapter 5 is an extended version of an essay that originally
appeared in Ecopoetry: A Critical Introduction, J. Scott Bryson,
ed. (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2002). Used with
permission.
No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form or
by any means without permission in writing from the publisher.
All reasonable steps have been taken to contact copyright holders
of material used in this book. The publisher would be pleased
to make suitable arrangements with any whom it has not been
possible to reach.
The University of Iowa Press is a member of Green Press Initiative
and is committed to preserving natural resources.
Printed on acid-free paper
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Bryson, J. Scott, 1968 – .
The west side of any mountain: place, space, and ecopoetry / by
J. Scott Bryson.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references (p. ) and index.
 0-87745-955- (cloth)
1. American poetry — 20th century — History and criticism.
2. Nature in literature. 3. Merwin, W. S. (William Stanley),
1927 – — Criticism and interpretation. 4. Berry, Wendell, 1934 –
— Criticism and interpretation. 5. Oliver, Mary, 1935 – —
Criticism and interpretation. 6. Harjo, Joy — Criticism and
interpretation. 7. Place (Philosophy) in literature. 8. Space
and time in literature. 9. Ecology in literature. I. Title.
. 2005
811'.540936 — dc22 2005047011
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Contents
Preface 1
 All Finite Things Reveal Infinitude
Place, Space, and Contemporary Ecopoetry 7
 Divided against Ourselves
Wendell Berry 23
 Finding the Way Back
Joy Harjo 45
 Both Sides of the Beautiful Water
Mary Oliver 75
 Between the Earth and Silence
W. S. Merwin 99
 The West Side of Any Mountain
Connections and Future Considerations 119
Notes 125
Bibliography 135
Index 149
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The West Side of Any Mountain
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