Sarah Orne Jewett and the Human Ecology of Vacationland

Sarah Orne Jewett’s Deephaven (1877) and The Country of the Pointed Firs (1896) are often read as regional or “local color” fictions. We believe that these nostalgic sketches of 19th century Midcoast Maine life are also significant investigations of large human issues of rootedness and transience–or, in terms directly relevant to our own experiences, of being “locals’’ or “from away.” Our discussion will make use of the language and concepts of “human ecology,” the interdisciplinary study of the interrelationships and interdependencies of humans and their natural, social, and cultural environments. (No previous knowledge of Jewett or human ecology required.)

Both Deephaven and The Country of the Pointed Firs are printed in Jewett: Novels and Stories, Library of America College Editions, ed. Michael Bell, ISBN 978-0940450745 and can be found through Amazon. The works are also available separately in several inexpensive or free digital editions through Amazon or in used editions through online booksellers. The Country of the Pointed Firs can also be purchased in a Signet Classic paperback, ISBN  978-0451531445. Any of these options is fine for class use.

Cheryl Swift is Professor Emerita of Biology and Environmental Science at Whittier College in Whittier, California, and John Swift is Professor Emeritus of English and American Studies at Occidental College in Los Angeles. They have previously taught classes on Willa Cather and Jack London for Midcoast Senior College, combining the perspectives of their experiences in science and the humanities.