Annie Dillard Annie Dillard (1945- )(1945- )

• Pilgrim At Tinker Creek (1974) • Holy the Firm (’77) (moth essay.)

• Tickets for a Prayer Wheel (’83)• An American Childhood (’87)• The Writing Life (‘90)

Clemson.edu (good web site w/ Clemson.edu (good web site w/ Dillard links)—Dillard links)—(actually has parenthetical (actually has parenthetical

citations!)citations!)

• Parents affluent, strong, energetic, Parents affluent, strong, energetic, Presbyterian, sent her to fundamentalist Presbyterian, sent her to fundamentalist church camp.church camp.

• HS: “hated everyone” got into lots of HS: “hated everyone” got into lots of trouble, but trouble, but

• started reading poetry & essays—notably started reading poetry & essays—notably Emerson.Emerson.

• Hollins College (VA)—married her writing Hollins College (VA)—married her writing teacher, Richard Dillardteacher, Richard Dillard

• MA 1968: thesis on MA 1968: thesis on WaldenWalden• 1971 Nearly died from pneumonia—1971 Nearly died from pneumonia—

decided she needed to live a bit.decided she needed to live a bit.• Tinker Creek—four seasons.Tinker Creek—four seasons.

Tinker CreekTinker Creek……(in Va. Blue Ridge)(in Va. Blue Ridge)

• Four seasons— Four seasons— 1971-4?1971-4?

• Mostly outdoors, camping, hiking.Mostly outdoors, camping, hiking.• Journals: 20-plus volumes.Journals: 20-plus volumes.• Transcribed to note cards, then to Transcribed to note cards, then to

Pilgrim At Tinker Creek [irony of the Pilgrim At Tinker Creek [irony of the title?]. title?].

• Took 8 months from cards to book. Took 8 months from cards to book. Towards the end, totally absorbed: 15 hrs a day Towards the end, totally absorbed: 15 hrs a day writing, living on “coffee and Coke.” Lost 30 pounds, writing, living on “coffee and Coke.” Lost 30 pounds, and all of her plants died.and all of her plants died.

• It It didn’tdidn’t include the moth piece. (2 yrs. include the moth piece. (2 yrs. Later—see “How I Wrote the Moth Later—see “How I Wrote the Moth Essay—and Why”)Essay—and Why”)

• Pilgrim brought great reviews, fame.

• Distrusted it. (Suddenly poems were accepted that were rejected earlier)

• Puget Sound as sort of hermetic retreat.

• Connecticut to teach. Currently adjunct professor at Wesleyan U. in Conn.

• Several divorce/remarriages. (“You can learn a lot when you’re married to someone…. Marry brains! Marry brains!”)

• 1984—daughter.

““Transfiguration”: Transfiguration”: the big picturethe big picture

• Where and when does Dillard see the moth?

• Where and when does she write the essay? [even without reading “How I Wrote”]

• What’s her point about the moth: what does it mean?

• What’s the purpose of the cat—and why used where it is?

Style:Style:

• Syntax– master of parallelism, cumulative and periodic

structure, poly- and asyndeton. – Cf. the fugue,

• Diction (Note any effects on pace.)

• Imagery

• Figurative language

• Sound effects :

– onomatopoeia,

– alliteration,

– assonance,

– rhythm (accents), etc

Transforming Transforming “Transfiguration”—“Transfiguration”—What ifsWhat ifs

• What if a different animal or object were used to represent the writer?

• One day a dog walked by, was caught in a spider web, stung badly, and…

What if the moth analogy What if the moth analogy were used, but different were used, but different wordswords ( (dictiondiction) were ) were chosen? chosen?

• The wax rose in the moth’s body … and widened into a flame, a sort of beer-yellow flame that staggered under her like a hangover, like a midlife crisis.

Other possible metaphors Other possible metaphors for the writer?for the writer?

Wood-chopping metaphor—see Wood-chopping metaphor—see Writing Writing LifeLife excerpts. excerpts.

Other “nature writers”Other “nature writers”

• EmersonEmerson• ThoreauThoreau both influenced herboth influenced her

• Barry Lopez?Barry Lopez?

NewshourNewshour roundtable clip? roundtable clip?

• Rhetorical purpose: self-examination?

• Importance of setting?

• Close observation?

• Style? Epigrammatic?

• Tone—stance.– E.g. identification with the subject.– anthropomorphism

from from Walden Walden (“Brute (“Brute

Neighbors”)Neighbors”):: (p.240-41, (p.240-41, ElementsElements))

“…“…The red republicans on the one The red republicans on the one hand, and the black imperialists on hand, and the black imperialists on the other;…and human soldiers never the other;…and human soldiers never fought so resolutely...Perchance he fought so resolutely...Perchance he was some Achilles, who had nourished was some Achilles, who had nourished his wrath apart, and had now come to his wrath apart, and had now come to avenge or rescue his Patroclus. …I avenge or rescue his Patroclus. …I was myself excited somewhat even as was myself excited somewhat even as if they had been men. The more you if they had been men. The more you think of it, the less the difference…. think of it, the less the difference….

I never learned which I never learned which party was victorious, nor party was victorious, nor the cause of the war; but the cause of the war; but I felt for the rest of that I felt for the rest of that day as if I had had my day as if I had had my feelings excited and feelings excited and harrowed by witnessing harrowed by witnessing the struggle, the ferocity the struggle, the ferocity and carnage, of a human and carnage, of a human battle before my door….battle before my door….

American LiteratureAmerican Literature (McGraw-Hill, p.205)(McGraw-Hill, p.205)

The mice which haunted my The mice which haunted my house were not the common house were not the common ones…but a wild and native kind ones…but a wild and native kind not found in the village. I sent one not found in the village. I sent one to a distinguished naturalist, and it to a distinguished naturalist, and it interested him much. …One of interested him much. …One of these…soon became quite familiar, these…soon became quite familiar, and would run over my shoes and and would run over my shoes and up my clothes….up my clothes….

At length, as I leaned with my At length, as I leaned with my elbow on the bench one day, it ran up elbow on the bench one day, it ran up my clothes, and along my sleeve, and my clothes, and along my sleeve, and round the paper which held my dinner, round the paper which held my dinner, while I kept the latter close, and while I kept the latter close, and doged and played at bo-peep with it; doged and played at bo-peep with it; and when at least I held still a piece of and when at least I held still a piece of cheese between my thumb and finger cheese between my thumb and finger it came and nibbled it, sitting in my it came and nibbled it, sitting in my hand, and afterward cleaned its face hand, and afterward cleaned its face and paws, like a fly, and walked away.and paws, like a fly, and walked away.

Other Dillard Other Dillard quotes… from quotes… from The The Writing LifeWriting Life

• Once, in order to finish a book I Once, in order to finish a book I was writing and yet not live in the was writing and yet not live in the same room with it, I begged a same room with it, I begged a cabin to use as a study. I finished cabin to use as a study. I finished the book there, wrote some other the book there, wrote some other things, and learned to split wood.things, and learned to split wood. – [tell the part about learning to split wood, the [tell the part about learning to split wood, the

dream, and the chopping block]dream, and the chopping block]

• I came here to study hard things I came here to study hard things - rock mountain and salt sea - - rock mountain and salt sea - and to temper my spirit on their and to temper my spirit on their edges.  "Teach me thy ways, O edges.  "Teach me thy ways, O Lord" is, like all prayers, a rash Lord" is, like all prayers, a rash one, and one I cannot but one, and one I cannot but recommend. recommend. 

• Appealing workplaces are to be Appealing workplaces are to be avoided. One wants a room with avoided. One wants a room with no view, so imagination can no view, so imagination can meet memory in the dark.meet memory in the dark.

• Every live thing is a survivor on a Every live thing is a survivor on a kind of extended emergency kind of extended emergency bivouac. bivouac.

Write as if you were dying. At the same Write as if you were dying. At the same time, assume you write for an audience time, assume you write for an audience consisting solely of terminal patients. consisting solely of terminal patients. That is, after all, the case.That is, after all, the case.

Write about winter in the summer.Write about winter in the summer.

The writer knows his field—what has The writer knows his field—what has been done, what could be done, the been done, what could be done, the limits—the way a tennis player knows limits—the way a tennis player knows the court. And like that expert, he, too, the court. And like that expert, he, too, plays the edges.plays the edges.

All day long I feel created.  I All day long I feel created.  I can see the blown dust on can see the blown dust on the skin on the back of my the skin on the back of my hand, the tiny trapezoids of hand, the tiny trapezoids of chipped clay, moistened and chipped clay, moistened and breathed alive.  breathed alive. 

Spend the afternoon. You Spend the afternoon. You can’t take it with you.can’t take it with you.

Who will teach me to write? A reader Who will teach me to write? A reader wanted to know. The page, the page, wanted to know. The page, the page, that eternal blankness, the blankness of that eternal blankness, the blankness of eternity, which you cover slowly, eternity, which you cover slowly, affirming time’s scrawl as a right and affirming time’s scrawl as a right and your daring as necessity; the page, your daring as necessity; the page, which you cover woodenly, ruining it, but which you cover woodenly, ruining it, but asserting your freedom and power to asserting your freedom and power to act, acknowledging that you ruin act, acknowledging that you ruin everything you touch, but touching it everything you touch, but touching it nevertheless,…nevertheless,…

Mother of all periodic sentences…?

……because acting is better than being because acting is better than being here in mere opacity; the page, here in mere opacity; the page, which you cover slowly with the which you cover slowly with the crabbed thread of your gut; the page crabbed thread of your gut; the page in the purity of its possibilities; the in the purity of its possibilities; the page of your death, against which page of your death, against which you pit such flawed excellences as you pit such flawed excellences as you can muster with all your life’s you can muster with all your life’s strength: that page will teach you to strength: that page will teach you to write.write.

There is another There is another way of saying way of saying this. Aim for the this. Aim for the chopping block. chopping block. Aim past the Aim past the wood, aim wood, aim through the through the wood; aim for wood; aim for the chopping the chopping block.block.

Gratuitous photo of Canaan Valley WVGratuitous photo of Canaan Valley WV