Place-Based Nature Writing
Mon, Sep 11
WHOLE, PART, LISTEN, WHOLE (Attention Exercise)
- Begin silently observing for seven minutes. Observe the whole area, the way the different aspects of nature interrelate, and how it interrelates with the human world. Pay close attention to connection, flow, motion, the whole. (Whole)
- Pick one aspect of the natural world to focus on: one tree, or one duck, or one snowflake or icicle or puddle, and observe it closely for seven minutes. (Part)
- Close your eyes. Listen and feel for seven minutes, paying close attention to the feel of the wind, the sounds of animals, and the taste of the air. (Listen)
- Open your eyes and walk around for seven more minutes, once again taking in the whole area, observing interrelations, attending to any specific aspects that strike you, noticing what you might be noticing differently. (Whole)
- After completing your exercise in attention, take fifteen minutes or so to write down your impressions.
Do This:
- Paper 1 Due: Literary Criticism, 1250–1500 words. What does nature mean in Jeff VanderMeer’s Annihilation? How do some of the other texts we’ve read help make sense of or complicate the way we understand nature in Area X? Write a 1250–1500 word essay that explores nature in Annihilation, substantially drawing on at least two other texts we’ve read (in a comparative, critical, or expository way).