Article Reflection No. 63 (8/12/2023)

Article: The Problem of Nature Writing

Reflection:

In The New Yorker article “The Problem of Nature Writing”, writer Jonathan Franzen details the issues of nature writing, a genre that he—as an avid bird follower—believes is overlooked. According to Franzen, nature writing is overlooked despite the necessity of appreciating and preserving one’s environment. With audio and video recordings rather dominant relative to literature about nature, Franzen emphasizes the potential reasons behind this lack of much-needed public interest. When reading a book or piece of literature, specific factors draw readers in, such as argument(s) (even if implicit), human attachment, and personal connection(s). In nature writing, arguments—such as one claiming that a rainforest is facing increasingly dangerous conditions, as the writer refers to in his article. This, Franzen writes, is an example of "sidestep[ing] the tonal problem", where facts become more purposeful (and appealing) to the reader and "lyrical impressionism" is not the author's objective (par. 10). Regarding human attachment, Franzen refers to “Kingbird Highway”, a book by Kenn Kaufman that exemplifies how a coming-of-age angle of the narrator increasingly attracts readers compared to an angle of nature. As for personal connections, Throughout the article, Franzen emphasizes on the somewhat irony behind nature writing, a sort of genre that is not so centered around nature after all.

This article reminds me of the idea that writers feel the need to write in the interest of the public. For a successful novel, book, or opinion article, there has to be a certain level of minimum engagement.

(Sustainable Cleveland)