What's with Writers & Nature?

After reading Prologue 1 I noticed a heavy emphasis on Nature, the narrator used many rich descriptions of Nature to identify with his childhood. In the beginning Cowley was at the peak of youth where he provided us with a vivid imagery of the lush trees, mountains, flowing rivers, cornfields, millwheels and so on, but as time went by the description also intensified, it became more rugged or aged. From this observation, I can make the assumption that Nature, Childhood, and Innocence are connected somehow or the other. But more importantanly, Nature and the internal mood of the reading seemed to be connected on some level. Cowley describes his childhood filled with insightful images of Nature, childhood is uauslly filled with Innocence and simplicity. As the reading transended from childhood to his college life, the shift began, for example, "We are like so many tumbleweeds sprouting in the rich summer soil, our leaves spreading while our roots slowly dried and became brittle".(p.36) Here we see that Nature is no longer prestine, but rugged. Moving right along into the last section of Prologue 1, when the war took place, the ultimate downfall of Nature, dead bodies, helemts, trenches, the entire mood changed. These are just a few examples that show how Nature and the internal mood were inter connected one way or the other. Maybe it was a writing style Cowley used to connect the two aspects, but whatever he meant by incorporating the two, it made perfect sense to me. What can I say, it is writers and their fascination with Nature; as the plot progresses, so too with time Nature also progresses.

by: Cindy Gobin