Friends of the Marion County Public Library Annual Meeting:
“Mountains: A Literary History”

This talk will trace the history of mountains in literature from places of danger to places of awe. Perhaps more than any other landform, “the mountain” has been a locus for literary exploration. It has been presented as a symbol for opportunity, but also for obstruction and hindrance, a source of both inspiration and fear.

Metaphorically, mountains represent the boundary between good and evil, between domestication and wilderness. To ascend a mountain, or to cross its range, is to undergo a transformation of the spirit and often of the body as well. During this discussion, we will look at the different ways in which authors from Thoreau to Tolkein (and beyond) have given shape and meaning to these impressive landforms.

April McGinnis is a doctoral student at West Virginia University, where she studies ecocriticism and nineteenth-century literature. Her research explores those murky areas between science and art, and between nature and culture. April is co-founder and co-host of The Eco-Lit Project, a podcast about literature and the environment. She serves as Editorial Assistant for the academic journal Victorian Poetry and teaches undergraduate writing and literature.