Date of Award:

8-2012

Document Type:

Thesis

Degree Name:

Master of Science (MS)

Department:

English

Committee Chair(s)

Melody Graulich

Committee

Melody Graulich

Committee

Evelyn Funda

Committee

Lawrence Culver

Abstract

This study compares some of the essays and novels of two well known, environmental writers: Wendell Berry and Edward Abbey. Usually, these writers are discussed for their environmental politics and representations of nature, but this study examines the ways in which each of these writers discusses class and manual labor. This aspect of Abbey’s and Berry’s works has not yet received the attention it deserves. With this focus in mind, I make the following conclusions: 1) An author’s view of society (as expressed by their opinions of class and socioeconomic status) necessarily affects their view of nature. 2) Berry’s occupational experiences as farmer and writer complicate each other, resulting in what some scholars call mixed-class consciousness—a condition in which one’s worldview reflects multiple class and occupational experiences that can never be completely reconciled. 3) Edward Abbey uses irony to deflect attention away from his class experience, hoping to escape society. 4) Work and occupation play a large role in shaping how we perceive the world, and we should therefore value working-class opinions and values more than we do.

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Comments

This work made publicly available electronically on July 30, 2012.

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