READINGS

John McPhee, “Travels of the Rock” in The Princeton Anthology of Writing: Favorite Pieces by the Ferris/McGraw Writers at Princeton, University (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2001). Link to Article.   

Patricia E. Rubertone., “Lippitt Hill: Homelands of the Hill and Hollows, Unholy Water, and Traditional Knowledge” in Native Providence: Memory, Community, and Survivance in the Northeast, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2020). Link to Book. 

William Cronon. “A Place for Stories: Nature, History, and Narrative” in Journal of American History, Vol 78, Issue 4, 1992. Link to Article. 

PROMPT

William Cronon explores the role of narrative in environmental history, using the Dust Bowl as a central case study. Begin by reading Cronon’s essay, and then reflect on how narrative is employed in McPhee’s “Travels of the Rock” and Rubertone’s chapter on Native populations in Lippitt Hill. Analyze how each author structures their chronology—what periods of time they choose to highlight or omit—and consider how their writing style and use of rhetorical techniques reinforce their arguments.

In particular, examine how Rubertone’s place-based storytelling reshapes the narrative and challenges the perception of the Cove as a “wasteland.” How does this essay influence or shift our understanding of the Cove’s history?