Journal article
Memory, imagination, and the renovating power of trees
- Abstract:
- Trees frequently feature in the early memories of writers and artists, judging by their autobiographical writings. This essay compares key childhood recollections by William Blake, A. S. Byatt, John Clare, Thomas Hardy, Seamus Heaney, Zaffar Kunial, Paul Nash, John Ruskin, and William Wordsworth in order to explore the recurrence and significance of tree memories. In these accounts, trees are often associated with moments of vision and a degree of alienation, which contribute to the self-realization of the writer as a creative being. At the same time, the longevity of trees and awareness of their separate, independent meaning for others enhances a sense of community, stretching into the past and future. The essay is a contribution to dendro-criticism and environmental humanities, using literary-critical methods to suggest a way of rethinking the relationship between humans and the nonhuman world.
- Publication status:
- Published
- Peer review status:
- Peer reviewed
Actions
Authors
- Publisher:
- University of Iowa
- Journal:
- Philological Quarterly More from this journal
- Volume:
- 97
- Issue:
- 2
- Publication date:
- 2018-08-20
- Acceptance date:
- 2018-01-31
- ISSN:
-
0031-7977
- Pubs id:
-
pubs:828191
- UUID:
-
uuid:37fbae32-5e6b-4958-8a57-3dba7d49cc36
- Local pid:
-
pubs:828191
- Source identifiers:
-
828191
- Deposit date:
-
2018-03-07
Terms of use
- Copyright holder:
- Fiona Stafford
- Copyright date:
- 2018
- Notes:
- This is the accepted manuscript version of the article. The final version is available online from University of Iowa at: https://english.uiowa.edu/philological-quarterly
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