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In the book under analysis, the author, Timothy Silver, presents his chief aim and the attempts to achieve it: to show the interrelation of three different cultures, Native American, Anglo-American, and Afro-American with the environment, the north-eastern forests, in particular. The main purpose of the present paper is to prove if the author meets the purpose he advances in the book or fails to do this. This report covers the main advantages of Silver’s approach to the relationship of human beings belonging to different cultures, and their mutually active interrelation with nature. However, the paper throws light on numerous limitations of the book that are, to a certain extent, disastrous for the overall realization of its purpose. Thus, this report will show that the task set by the author has been fulfilled but needs further study.
For the successful analysis of the book, it is necessary to provide main background information on the author. Timothy Silver works as a professor of history at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina. His other well-known publication is Mount Mitchell and the Black Mountains. An Environmental History of the Highest Peaks in Eastern America.
First, it is necessary to mention an earlier written source that has influenced Silver’s intentions and his creation of the book under consideration. It was William Cronon and his book Changes in the Land: Indians, Colonists, and the Ecology of New England that provided a model that Silver chose to follow. Thus, the first thing that should be mentioned is that the argument Sliver states in his book are not entirely new in itself, it has been introduced by the Cronon already. However, the author admits this, saying that he takes “Cronon’s work as [his] structural and methodological model” (ix) intentionally.
On the one hand, one of the merits of the book is the choice of the territory the author analyzes from a historical perspective. The decision to limit the area of analysis to “the principal area of English settlement” (x) is a good one as, in case, if he had chosen the whole territory of colonial South, he would have faced many difficulties. As the sphere of primary importance for his investigation was the environmental change of the region under study, he had to take into account the details relating to the spheres of topography, climatic changes, and settlement patterns that were of great importance. Thus, the choice of the area is good to prove the argument the historian advances. However, it is a deplorable fact that the author ignores Florida which used to be among British colonies and attracted numerous settlers as well. It could have been a fruitful ground for investigation.
An overall manner of presentation of the material should also be mentioned. Silver states in the preface to the book that as soon as he has started his work on it, he has realized that “one cannot become an instant expert in disciplines as diverse as medicine, plant and animal ecology, geography, geology, and anthropology” (x). His attempt to simplify specialized material he makes use of is evident and a reader should give him credit for it. Still, there are numerous abstracts in the book that are difficult to interpret; they even need rereading to get at the idea. Thus, on the whole, the manner of presentation of the material is rather difficult for a non-specialist. Besides, it is evident that the book lacks maps; the illustrations presented in it are mostly drawings of plants and animals, such as the picture of Sassafras (20).
As for the structure of A New Face on the Countryside, the book is proportionally divided and the structure makes its contribution to the general understanding of the author’s argument. In the prologue, he gives an account of the limits of his investigation. In the subsequent chapters, Silver analyzes ecological changes in the region in historical order, the influence of the indigenous people, the Europeans, and the impact of slaves as well. On the whole, the overview of the historical events presented creates a sufficient understanding of the situation and the main idea implied by Silver. Still, the material he presents often lacks depth. It may well be that in his attempt to simplify the information he failed to present important information. This accounts for the book’s being scrappy and it is evident that the historian is treating the groups (the Indians, the Europeans, the African slaves) unevenly. The interrelation of the Europeans and the north-eastern forests are described in much detail. At the same time, the impact of African slaves is depicted as a merely passive one. He tackles their importance in such matters as diseases’ penetration. Still, the amount of material is insufficient.
The method used in the book should be commented on. The author himself calls this method “an imaginary ‘walking tour’ of the region” (14). On the one hand, this method is interesting and useful due to its realistic nature. The aim of this method is to cover the greater part of the territory and to produce an impression of real presence. Still, the use of this method throughout the book seems to be unjustified and even imposed intentionally. This “walking tour” sometimes seems to be disadvantageous in comparison with a simple account of the known facts that could have added clarity that the narration often lacks. The author seems to have forgotten that the book does not belong to imaginative literature; spacious unnecessary abstracts present its main disadvantage. Such is, for instance, the account of geologic history that can be found in the second chapter. Its relevance can be questioned.
The merit of this book is that Silver presents human agents at the center of his study. He links environmental changes to cultural changes. This point of view is authentic and it is the zest of the book. In comparison with some known information that the historian may be abusing, the cultural and ecological ties of the region are really captivating.
The best part of Silver’s study informs the audience about the deforestation of the land that was exercised but the indigenous people but continued and intensified by European invaders. The author gives an account of different changes that occurred due to human invasion, such as the appearance of new plants, alteration of wildlife, the change of weather, and aggravation of such geographical problems as erosion (134). This part of the study is multidimensional and persuasive.
Drawing a conclusion, it is possible to state that numerous limitations and sometimes shallow presentation of the material in the book cannot be left unnoticed. Organizational drawbacks violate the natural flow of the study and sophisticated language creates additional problems for understanding. Still, in general, the author has managed to fulfill the task he had accepted. He shows that the interaction between nature and culture is a promising ground for investigation. Environmental past is extremely important for the present.
References
Official website of the University of North Carolina. 2010. Web.
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