Lines on the Land: Writers, Art, and the National Parks (Under the Sign of Nature) (Paperback)

by Scott Herring (Author) "Travel as far south and west as you can in this country without leaving the mainland and you end up in San Diego..." (more)
Key Phrases: lost grizzlies, cliff city, geyser basin, Old Faithful, Desert Solitaire, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
The nineteenth-century photographer William Henry Jackson once complained of the skepticism with which early descriptions of Yellowstone were met: the place was too wondrous to be believed. The public demanded proof, and a host of artists and writers obliged. These early explorers possessed a vigorous devotion to the young nation's wilderness - the naturalist John Muir famously toured the land from Wisconsin to Florida on foot - and through their work established aesthetic categories that exist to this day. In Lines on the Land, Scott Herring contends that these writers and artists were canon makers, recognizing the national parks as naturally occurring works of art and conferring upon them a cultural prestige: the parks were the splendid focal points of the American landscape. These early, canonizing works are homages to a vast, untouched wilderness. This praise would gradually give way, however, to a distinctly American anger - what Herring calls "outraged idealism." Later generations were faced with a changing culture that had imperfectly absorbed, and even misrepresented, the national-park aesthetic. The postwar park was overrun by cars and tourists who could not possibly match the pioneering naturalists' profound commitment to and appreclation for their surroundings. The collective tone of the parks' chroniclers, as a result, evolved from celebration of awesome beauty to indignation over the perceived corruption of the parks, both as an ideal and as actual physical settings. Herring traces this shift through the work of a wide spectrum of creative minds, from early figures such as Muir and Thomas Moran to later observers of the parks such as Ansel Adams, Sylvia Plath, Edward Abbey, and Rick Bass. The text is punctuated by autobiographical "interchapters" in which Herring relates the book's chief themes to his own experiences in Yellowstone National Park.

About the Author
Scott Herring, a former employee of Yellowstone National Park, is a Lecturer in English at the University of California, Davis. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 216 pages
• Publisher: University of Virginia Press (February 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0813922577
• ISBN-13: 978-0813922577
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,951,516 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Climbing, Writing, Nature and the National Parks, February 19, 2004

By A Customer

Scott Herring writes beautifully about the asthetics and quinessential qualities of the national parks. He traces the historical background of national parks while at the same time, speaks of the great writers of our time and their contributions to both national parks and the beauty of nature.

"Lines on the Land" is a book that demonstrates the importance of national parks to the American Heritage. A collection of historical accounts, literature,poetry as well as personal insights, this book is for the scholar, the climber, and the nature lover within all people. Herring gives great insight on the importance of the land in relation to the American people.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As wonderous as the land it explores, March 1, 2004

By	dbdistin (Burbank, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lines on the Land: Writers, Art, and the National Parks (Under the Sign of Nature) (Hardcover)

This book really would go better in the "nature essay" section of the bookstore than "literary criticism" (who reads that, really?). The best parts of the book are the sections where Herring talks about living in Yellowstone National Park. They make you want to head off to Wyoming, like, right now. Highly recommended.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent read, January 11, 2005

By	M. K. Brown "Cerulean Stallion" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Lines on the Land: Writers, Art, and the National Parks (Under the Sign of Nature) (Hardcover)

Herring's book is in inquisitive and thorough examination of the literature regarding America's national parks. His work analyzes the literature of writers who saw the good, the bad, and the ugly concerning national parks. While some writers saw parks as a necessity, others saw them as something to be feared and loathed. What was to initially preserve and inspire became nothing more than Disneyland.

In speaking with the author, who taught a few classes I took, he told me that this work would normally be reviewed in literary journals and digests, not in commercial circles, which is understandable. Works about literature have a far more limited readership range than literature itself. But hey, I purchased the book immediately when it was released and after reading it, thought I would provide my $0.02. I was curious to see his work. He spoke about Yellowstone on occasion, and had an interesting approach to teaching-- making pop culture references to literature and so forth. This book nevertheless reveals those very qualities in print.

Anyway, if you want some articulate, well-thought insight into the works of authors who wrote about national parks, _Lines On The Land_ is where you should go.