Edge Effects
ISBN: 9781587290053
Platform/Publisher: Project MUSE / University of Iowa Press
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Chapters; Download: Chapters
Subjects: Clearcutting; Hybrid zones; Forest ecology;

A sensitive observer who mixes nature writing with personal tales, freelance essayist Anderson offers episodic reflections on life on the edge of McDonald-Dunn Forest, a 12,000-acre research forest outside Corvallis, Ore. When residents responded to a planned clear-cutting, Anderson--who had moved to the forest for silence--found himself embroiled in theories and words. Speaking to a forestry class on behalf of local homeowners, he thoughtfully catalogues what makes a landscape pleasing and discusses the importance of learning to observe and read the forest slowly and regularly. Yet his affection for his surroundings fosters ambivalence: he becomes weary of the responsibility of having to learn about and master the forest. When he ventures afar, Anderson remains interesting: in the ``biosphere'' of the enormous Edmonton Mall, he finds everything the frigid city lacks. Reflecting on his forest walks, he acknowledges feeling neither Thoreauvian intensity nor deep Benedictine contemplation; rather, the repetition ``has the effect of meditation or liturgy.'' Portions of the essays were first published in magazines like Commonweal and the Georgia Review. Photos not seen by PW. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Chris Anderson is associate professor of English and composition coordinator at Oregon State University and the author of, most recently Free/Style: A Direct Approach to Writing .

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