Help finding Man vs. Nature

I'm writing a paper on how Man vs. Nature is a theme in Coleridge's The Rime of the Ancient Mariner and will try to find other works to reflect and contrast this. My first idea was to use Melville's Moby-Dick, but I haven't been able to find enough material concerning Man vs. Nature in that novel. Therefore, I'd like to use one or more works instead of Melville's. Poetry is of course extra interesting since The Mariner falls under that category. Further, it would be nice to use something by someone not from England and from another period of time. The Mariner was first published in 1798, so either before or after that.

If anyone knows of anything well suited for my paper, I'd be happy to learn about it.

/Johan

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Originally Posted by NotStereo

My first idea was to use Melville's Moby-Dick, but I haven't been able to find enough material concerning Man vs. Nature in that novel.

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Are you serious? How about Ahab and the whale? Or the crew trying to control the sea? There's really quite a bit! Or maybe you're looking for something different. I'm not sure.

Welcome, by the way!

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Originally Posted by parap

Are you serious? How about Ahab and the whale? Or the crew trying to control the sea? There's really quite a bit! Or maybe you're looking for something different. I'm not sure.

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Of course there are lots of this theme in the novel, but my problem is that I need secondary sources discussing this. With The Mariner it was no problem, since this theme is so typical for the Romantic era, but it is different with M-D; I can't find critics discussing Man vs. Nature in it in a big enough extent for my paper. I kind of reacted the same was as you when i realized this..

But if you know of any sources discussing this theme in M-D or, as I said, other works where it is prominent and generously dealt with, I'd be thankful if you'd share it with me.

Well, you know what it means if there is nothing out there ;) You're inventing something new, and what could be more beautiful than that?

I had a quick look at JSTOR, and unless I'm searching wrong, I actually have to give you your right! I simply can't imagine that there is not one article out there that thoroughly discusses it.

I found a few articles nevertheless that you might find helpful or interesting:

Stephen C. Ausband, "The Whale and the Machine: An Approach to Moby-Dick", American Literature, Vol. 47, No. 2. (May, 1975), pp. 197-211.

Elizabeth S. Foster, "Melville and Geology", American Literature, Vol. 17, No. 1. (Mar., 1945), pp. 50-65.

Tyrus Hillway, "Melville as Critic of Science", Modern Language Notes, Vol. 65, No. 6. (Jun., 1950), pp. 411-414.

Paul W. Miller, "Sun and Fire in Melville's Moby Dick", Nineteenth-Century Fiction, Vol. 13, No. 2. (Sep., 1958), pp. 139-144.

Books:

Richard S. Moore, That cunning alphabet : Melville’s aesthetics of nature, 1982

Tyrus Hillway, Melville and the whale, 1969

Perry Miller, The raven and the whale : the war of words and wits in the era of Poe and Melville, 1956

"Deliverance" by James Dickey.

"To Build A Fire" by Jack London.

"Green Mansions" by W. H. Hudson

"At Play in the Fields of the Lord" by Peter Matthiessen

Parap: as I said, I'm kinda surprised too. I've tried three different libraries and not even the librarians could find very much material. I have to admit though that I'm not very familiar with where on the Internet one might find this kind of material - usually I google I find what I need, but not this time. :confused: I'll take a look at the articles you suggested. Thanks a bunch for looking!

Starrwriter: thank you too for your advices! I'll look into them first thing today.

Rest of you guys: I won't say no to more ideas... ;)

How about using Shakespears "The Tempest" or some of the ancient Greek and Roman myths, where nature i personified in varoius gods.
Or maybe some of Dan Simmons sf even if "nature" as such has been severely modified (by man)
Or from the same period some of the german Romantic writers (Hoffmann: "Der Goldne Topf" or Novalis "Hymnen an die Nacht" the latter one is a long poem)
Or if you want to go with the more popular literature you could use Michael Crichton, either "Jurrasic Park" or "Prey"

How about The Open Boat by Stephen Crane.

"If I am going to be drowned--if I am going to be drowned--if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees? Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of life? It is preposterous. If this old ninny-woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the management of men's fortunes. She is an old hen who knows not her intention. If she has decided to drown me, why did she not do it in the beginning and save me all this trouble. The whole affair is absurd. . . . But, no, she cannot mean to drown me. She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all this work." Afterward the man might have had an impulse to shake his fist at the clouds: "Just you drown me, now, and then hear what I call you!"

mousemouse: "The Tempest" is of special interest, since it - both like The Mariner and Moby-Dick - is set in a marine environment. Gold star for that one.. :nod: I'll look up the other ones you mentioned. thanks a lot!

Riesa: I guess you'll also get a gold star for your suggestion, since I assume it also is set in a marine environment. I forgot to mention that when I started this thread, but you guys obviously picked it up anyway. The quote you added is very interesting and relevant. Appreciate it!

what about The Old Man and The Sea by Hemingway
http://www.enotes.com/omas-qn/60003

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Originally Posted by Ranoo

what about The Old Man and The Sea by Hemingway
http://www.enotes.com/omas-qn/60003

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Great idea. It definitely qualifies in every way as a relevant primary source. I'll look into what the critics have written about it - hopefully I can find more secondary sources on Man and Nature there than i did with Moby-Dick. Thanks a lot!

Did you ever think to use "The Odyssey" and use the angle of how Romans explained man vs. nature in mythological creatures?

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Originally Posted by byucougs

Did you ever think to use "The Odyssey" and use the angle of how Romans explained man vs. nature in mythological creatures?

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It did actually cross both my and my supervisor's minds, but we agreed on its being a little too epic to be a good supplement to my paper. My first draft is to be handed in before Christmas and I've been working on it since August, so I've got a lot to do. But thanks a lot anyway.

Uh I just remembered!!!
How about "The Pilgrim's Progress" by Bunyan. It is most often described as a christian allegory, with the purpose of explaining how to be a good christian and how to end up in heaven.
However it can also be read as a mans battle with his own nature. When read this way the book becomes a political comentary on England in the 17'th century. The pilgrim's wanderings takes him through a landscape, that could easiely have been Bunyans own.
But this is not so much the outside nature as it is the battle with human nature, so I don't know if you can use it. However, I think that it could be an interesting way to go in your analysis. Especially if you consider that most of the human vs nature literature is also about this inner battle.
Here is some secondary literature on the subject of not reading "The Pilgrim's Progress" as a christian allegory:
Judith Gunn: Bunyan of Elstow
Hodder and Stoughton, 1985
ISBN: 0 340 34823 2

Vivienne Evans: John Bunyan, his Life and Times
The Book Castle, 1995
ISBN: 1 871199 87 5

The Pilgrim’s Progress, Critical and Historical Views, Edited by Vincent Newey
Liverpool University Press, 1980
ISBN: 0 85323 194 X

John Bunyan and his England 1628-88, Edited by Anne Lawrence, W.R. Owens and Stuart Sim.
The Hambledon Press, 1990
ISBN: 1 85285 027 2

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Originally Posted by mousemouse

Uh I just remembered!!!
How about "The Pilgrim's Progress" by Bunyan. It is most often described as a christian allegory, with the purpose of explaining how to be a good christian and how to end up in heaven.

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Sounds very interesting. Nice of you to provide secondary sources as well. I'll delve in to it. "Tack så mycket!"