Nature writing
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Nature writing is
about the natural environment. It often draws heavily from scientific information and facts while also incorporating philosophical reflection upon various aspects of nature. Works are frequently written in the first person and include personal observations.Nature writing encompasses a wide variety of works, ranging from those that place primary emphasis on natural history (such as field guides) to those focusing on philosophical interpretation. It includes poetry, essays of solitude or escape, as well as travel and adventure writing.[1]
Modern-day nature writing traces its roots to works of natural history that initially gained popularity in the second half of the 18th century, and continued to do so throughout the 19th century. An important early figure in nature writing was the parson-naturalist Gilbert White (1720–1793),[2] a pioneering English naturalist and ornithologist. He is best known for writing Natural History and Antiquities of Selborne (1789).
William Bartram (1739–1823) was another significant American pioneer naturalist who became a respected figure in literary and scientific communities after his first work was published in 1791.[3]
Early history
The tradition of clerical naturalists can be traced back to the monastic writings of the Middle Ages, although under modern-day definitions, these writings about animals and plants cannot be correctly classified as natural history. Notable early parson-naturalists were William Turner (1508–1568), John Ray (1627–1705) and William Derham (1657–1735).
Gilbert White was an English
American botanist, natural historian, and explorer William Bartram traveled extensively in the Americas throughout the late 1700s, observing the native flora and fauna; his work, now known as Bartram's Travels, was published in 1791.[6] Ephraim George Squier and Edwin Hamilton Davis, in their book, Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley, name Bartram as "the first naturalist who penetrated the dense tropical forests of Florida."[7]
Another early illustrated work of nature writing was
Throughout the 19th century, works of nature writing included those of American ornithologist John James Audubon (1785–1851), Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and Alfred Russel Wallace (1823–1913).[9] Additional authors who published modern works include English author Richard Jefferies (1848-1887), American authors Susan Fenimore Cooper(1813–1894) and Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862). Other significant writers in the genre include Ralph Waldo Emerson(1803–1882), John Burroughs (1837–1931) and John Muir (1838–1914).
20th century to date
The second half of the 20th century saw a significant increase in nature writing in fiction and non-fiction in Britain. One of the earliest of these works was
After World War II, other writers emerged including English teacher and naturalist Margaret Hutchinson (1904–1997), who strongly advocated for raising children as naturalists from an early age. [12] American author Rachel Carson (1907–1964) is known for Silent Spring, published in 1962.[13] Carson heralded a new and pointed style of nature writing that carried stronger warnings of environmental loss as climate change became an increasing conflict throughout the 20th century.
Relevant contemporary nature writers in Britain include Richard Mabey, Roger Deakin, Mark Cocker, and Oliver Rackham. Rackham's books included Ancient Woodland (1980) and The History of the Countryside (1986). Richard Mabey has been involved with radio and television programmes on nature, and his book Nature Cure, describes his experiences and recovery from depression in the context of man's relationship with landscape and nature. He has also edited and introduced editions of Richard Jefferies, Gilbert White, Flora Thompson and Peter Matthiessen. Mark Cocker has written extensively for British newspapers and magazines and his books include Birds Britannica (with Richard Mabey) (2005). and Crow Country (2007). He frequently writes about modern responses to the wild, whether found in landscape, human societies or in other species. Roger Deakin was an English writer, documentary-maker and environmentalist. In 1999, Deakin's acclaimed book Waterlog was published.[14] Inspired in part by the short story The Swimmer by John Cheever, it describes his experiences of 'wild swimming' in Britain's rivers and lakes and advocates open access to the countryside and waterways.[15] Deakin's book Wildwood appeared posthumously in 2007. It describes a series of journeys across the globe that Deakin made to meet people whose lives are intimately connected to trees and wood.
German contributions to nature writing include German author
See also
References
- ISBN 978-1-57131-256-3.
- ^ Gosse, Edmund (1903). English Literature: From Milton to Johnson. London: William Heinemann. pp. 375–378.
- ^ Parramore, Thomas C. (1979). "Bartram, William". NCPedia. Retrieved 23 March 2024.
- ISBN 978-0-86840-912-2.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ^ White, Gilbert (1840). The Natural History of Selborne: With Observations on Various Parts of Nature, and the Naturalist's Calendar. London, England: John Chidley. pp. 205–206.
- ISBN 978-0-8203-2027-4.
- ^ Squier, E.G. (1848). Ancient Monuments of the Mississippi Valley. Washington D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. p. 46.
- ^ Gosse, Edmund (1906). "Charles Darwin". English Literature: From the Age of Johnson to the Age of Tennyson. New York: Macmillan Co. pp. 298–302.
- required.)
- ISBN 978-0954358518.
- ISBN 978-1-4381-1689-1.)
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link - ISBN 978-0-946474-13-4.
- ^ "Rachel Carson". Science History Institute. June 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
- ^ "Archives of environmentalist Roger Deakin given to university". The Guardian. 8 May 2010. Retrieved 2 March 2024.
- ^ "Deakin: The Man, The Moat, and The Legacy". The Outdoor Swimming Society. June 2023. Retrieved 7 March 2024.
- ^ McGrane, Sally (29 January 2016). "German Forest Ranger Finds That Trees Have Social Networks, Too". New York Times. Retrieved 31 December 2020.
- ^ "Preis für Nature Writing 2018: Sabine Scho und Christian Lehnert". boersenblatt.net. 13 July 2018.
- ^ "Writers by Nature: Stipendium". britishcouncil.de. 2018. Retrieved 13 July 2018.
Further reading
- Finch, Robert, and John Elder, eds. The Norton Book of Nature Writing. New York: Norton, 1990; Nature writing: the tradition in English. edited by Robert Finch and John Elder. New York: W.W. Norton, c2002. This book is an all encompassing guide and encyclopedia of 200 years of nature writing.
- Keith, W. J., The Rural Tradition: William Cobbett, Gilbert White, and Other Non-Fiction Writers of the English Countryside. Hassocks, Sussex: Harvester, 1975. This book has a useful bibliography. In addition, this book goes over specific parts of nature writing, including landscape, pastoral and country life literature.
- Lyon, Thomas J., ed. This Incomparable Land: A Book of American Nature Writing. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1989. This book is an introduction guide to the genre. It goes over the vastness of the genre and American writing within the genre.
- Lillard, Richard G. (April 1973). "The Nature Book in Action". The English Journal. 62 (4). National Council of Teachers of English: 537–48. JSTOR 813109. This textbook styled book mainly consists of the history behind nature writing.
- Mabey, Richard, The Oxford Book of Nature Writing. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995. This piece also goes over the magnitude of this genre and presents essays from varying nature authors.
- Stewart, Frank, A Natural History of Nature Writing. Washington, D.C.: Island Press, 1994. This books concentrates on the origins of American nature writing.
- Trimble, Stephen, "Words From the Land: Encounters with Natural History Writing". Reno: University of Nevada Press, 1995 (revised edition). ISBN 978-0874172645. This book is a representative collection of essays which goes over the contemporary part of nature writing.
External links
- William Bartram's early Southern travels (archived 25 July 2011)
- Audubon's Birds of America at the U. of Pittsburgh
- Audubon, John James (1843). Birds of America. Vol. 6. New York: J. J. Audubon.
- Land Lines: British Nature Writing, 1789–2014 (AHRC funded research project exploring British nature writing from the late eighteenth century to the present).