In Our Nature: Stories of Wildness
Select Format
Select Condition 
Book Overview
Fourteen unforgettable short stories provoke, illuminate, and startle as they explore our perception of nature and the conflict between wildness and civilization within each of us.
As we are recognizing the consequences of the destruction of forests and wetlands, the pillaging of the seas, and the toxicity of industry, we are experiencing profound uncertainty about our relationship with the earth. These stellar short stories by writers such as Barry Lopez, Rick Bass, Margaret Atwood, E. L. Doctorow, Chris Offutt, and others plumb the mystery--as only fiction can--of nature within us and the world of nature that surrounds us. We are nature, in spite of our machines, our plastics, and our artificial ingredients. Yet what do we make of our own nature? Our own wildness? And how do we explain the paradox of our urge to both exploit and protect wilderness? From E. L. Doctorow's shattering tale, "Willi," in which a young boy witnesses adults transformed into animals by the frenzy of sexual lust, to Rick Bass's "Swamp Boy," whose young hero is hounded by a pack of boys incensed by his solitary communion with the wild, to Margaret Atwood's wickedly funny story, "My Life as a Bat," or Kent Meyers's soulful ballad of love regained, "The Heart of the Sky," these memorable stories articulate our deep need for wilderness and the indelible role nature plays in our psychological and spiritual well-being.Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0820324574
ISBN13:9780820324579
Release Date:November 2002
Publisher:University of Georgia Press
Length:272 Pages
Weight:0.84 lbs.
Dimensions:0.7" x 5.6" x 8.5"
Customer Reviews
2 ratings
Breakthrough Book on Nature and Us
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
From her brilliant opening essay through her anthology of 14 incredible stories, Donna Seaman has given us a breakthrough book that places theoretical "environmental issues" in a wider context than ever before. Through stories about bats and geese, weeds and trees, mothers and lovers, fathers, sons and very mean kids, from well knowns and lesser knowns, Seaman shows us that nature isn't only "out there", but in here, that what becomes of it also becomes of us. She locates wildness as the common thread in these diverse treasures, thereby joining us immutably to the natural world, showing us that to be isolated from it is to be isolated from one another and from ourselves. In a way, this book is a call to recast the politics of preserving the natural world by better locating, rather than bemoaning, our place in it.
A new genre: nature fiction
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 24 years ago
Nature writing has been the bastion of non-fiction. Now, Donna Seaman has introduced readers to a new concept -- nature writing in fiction. In these stories, fiction writers reveal nature's influence on who we are. At the same time, they illustrate how we alter nature and, ultimately, ourselves. After reading the collection, the reader has the sense that there are no boundaries. Seaman has a keen eye for the great story.
Copyright © 2025 Thriftbooks.com
Terms of Use | Privacy Policy | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information | Cookie Policy | Cookie Preferences | Accessibility Statement
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
ThriftBooks ® and the ThriftBooks ® logo are registered trademarks of Thrift Books Global, LLC
