ENG 235: American Narrative Nonfiction Spring 2014

"Every natural fact is a symbol of some spiritual fact. Every appearance in nature corresponds to some state of the mind, and that state of the mind can only be described by presenting that natural appearance as its picture. An enraged man is a lion, a cunning man is a fox, a firm man is a rock, a learned man is a torch. A lamb is innocence; a snake is subtle spite; flowers express to us the delicate affections. Light and darkness are our familiar expression for knowledge and ignorance; and heat for love. Visible distance behind and before us, is respectively our image of memory and hope.

"Who looks upon a river in a meditative hour, and is not reminded of the flux of all things?" --from Emerson's "Nature" "There is something else here, too, even more important: explanations will occur to you, seeming to clarify; but they can be a kind of trick. You will think you have hold of the idea when you only have hold of its clothing. "Feel how still it is. You can become impatient here, willing to accept any explanation in order to move on. This appears nothing at all, but it is a wall between you and what you are after. . . Moving on is not important. You must wait. You must take things down to the core." --Barry Lopez, "Desert Notes" For your first essay, you have two options:

A personal essay that explores an experience you have had, with nature as at least a peripheral character. There should be an emphasis on both story and rich sensory descriptions of the natural world, in this essay. You will also be expected to perform basic research about the location in which the story takes place to heighten your ability to write about that place. A New New Journalism-style essay in which you research and write about a nature-based topic while remaining visible in the story, either by describing your interactions with your research subjects ( think of Rebecca Solnit's essay, "Revolutionary Plots"), by describing a relevant experience you have had, by voicing your thoughts and opinions about the subject, or by a mix of all three. If possible, your research will include collecting primary information through interviews with relevant participants. As with the option above, this essay should include a natural entity incorporated in a figurative manner.

This assignment will take as foundation the writing and research assignments of these initial weeks: 1) Emersonian Treatise, formulating your own philosophy about nature; 2) Ostranenie & the Apple, building your abilities to notice and describe the strange wonders waiting just beyond the

ENG 235: American Narrative Nonfiction Spring 2014

familiar veneer of the everyday; 3) Field Study, using primary and secondary research to learn in-depth about a specific aspect of the natural world.

Your essay should adhere to the MLA style, as detailed in the syllabus, and must include a Works Cited section. Assignment Due Dates:
Steps Along the Way Introduction of Assignment & Drafting of Proposal Brainstorming Events & Topics Essay Proposal Organization: Creating Outlines & Narrative Arcs Peer Review Draft (complete draft of your essay) Peer Review Workshop Revision Workshop Instructor Draft Proofreading Workshop Final Draft Dates (deadlines in bold) Thursday, 2/6 Due emailed to me by no later than midnight on Friday, 2/7 Tuesday, 2/18 Email to Peer Review Partner at agreed-upon time, Sunday or Monday, 3/2 or 3/3 Tuesday, 3/4 Thursday, 3/6 Due to my Dropbox account by midnight, Friday, 3/7 Thursday, 3/20 Due to my Dropbox account by midnight, Friday, 3/21