Friday, April 7th
3222 Angell Hall

10:15a.m.-12:00pm Scholarly Panel

"The Meaning of Rivers"

Description:
For the conference at the University of Michigan honoring John Knott, I will discuss my current book project, which involves research on the meaning of rivers in American life. I am calling my approach “Comparative Literary Potamology,” in the hope that the phrase suggests a necessary movement between categories of inquiry and between modes of thought. Potamology being the study of rivers, Comparative Literary Potamology involves studying rivers and texts in relation to one another. A comparative literary potamologist asks questions about nature and ecosystem, but also asks questions of culture and interpretation: What can literature tell us about rivers? What can rivers tell us about literature? The twofold hypothesis posits that the humanities can play a significant role in understanding nature and ecology, but also that thinking more carefully about place, nature, and ecosystems can revitalize the humanities. Literature, that is to say, can help us learn about the meaning of rivers; rivers can help us rethink the nature of representation, interpretation, and meaning.

Publications:
Our Preposterous Use of Literature: Emerson & the Nature of Reading
(University of Illinois Press, 2000)