Ian Marshall, Professor of English at Penn State Altoona, is author of Peak Experiences: Walking Meditations on Literature, Nature, and Need
Marshall breaks new ground with his ecocritical approach to
literary scholarship as he examines the influence of place on
literature inspired by the Appalachian chain.-- "Library
Journal"
One part guidebook and two parts exploration into literary history
and theory, Story Line is a joy for people who like to walk and
read. Marshall is a keen observer, a dogged researcher and a
terrific writer.... It would have been a successful book had
Marshall done nothing more than persuade readers that walking on
the Appalachian Trail is still the best way to encounter the East's
forested landscape. He has accomplished much more than that. He's
also blazed an engrossing new path to experience some of its finest
literature.-- "New York Review of Books"
Story Line is refreshing in its use of clear, expressive, engaging,
personal language. Marshall removes literature from the
self-contained world of words and demonstrates its relation with
both the world of nonhuman nature and the world of human experience
with nature--Kent C. Ryden, author of Mapping the Invisible
Landscape: Folklore, Writing, and the Sense of Place
This is a phenomenally innovative, profound, and engaging
book--perhaps the best work of ecocriticism that I've ever read,
and I've read just about everything in the field. Upon reaching the
end of this book, you feel as if you yourself have walked much of
the Appalachian Trail with Marshall as your guide, sometimes poetic
and philosophical, often informative, and--thank
goodness--frequently comical. Story Line is a tour de force.--Scott
Slovic, author of Seeking Awareness in American Nature Writing:
Henry Thoreau, Annie Dillard, Edward Abbey, Wendell Berry, Barry
Lopez
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