Desire of the Middle Ground: Opposition, Dialectics, And Dialogic Context in Gretel Ehrlich’s The Solace of Open Spaces

L . L . G r i f f i n , F R A N E D E N S . B l a c k a n d w h i t e p h o t o g r a p h . F r o m G r iffin ’s e x h ib it S o m e t h in g T h a t a C o w b o y K n o w s, w h ic h fir st a p p e a r e d in t h e A r v a d a C e n t e r in 1 9 9 4 , t h e n t r a v e le d u n d e r t h e a u sp ic e s o f t h e C o lo r a d o H ist o r ic a l So c ie t y . It w ill c o n t in u e t o t r a v e l t h r o u g h W y o m in g, N e v a d a , a n d O r e g o n . G r iffin h a s p u b lish e d a b o o k b y t h e sa m e t it le as h e r e x h ib it . D e s ir e o f t h e M id d le G ro u n d : O p p o s itio n , D ia le c t ic s , a n d D ia lo g ic C o n t e x t in G r e t e l E h r l i c h s T h e S o l a c e o f O p e n S p a c e s B o n n e y M a c D o n a l d T o r e a d Jo h n M c P h e e is t o w it n e ss p h y sic a l, g e o lo g ic a l fo r m b a t h o lit h s, b a sin s, a n d fa u lt s— t h r o u g h t h e m e d ia t in g v e h ic le o f M c P h e e ’s r e p o r t s. Sim ila r ly , t o r e a d A n n Z w in ge r is t o v isit a lp in e t u n d r a s, p a r c h e d d e se r t s, a n d t h e m in u t e ly c a t a lo g e d ar r ay o f w ild life t h a t m o v e p a st t h e in q u ir in g o b se r v e r a n d t o t a k e p a r t in w h a t F r a n k lin B u r r o u gh s c a lls “lim it - lo v in g sa n it y ” (9 3 5 ). By c o n t r a st , t o r e a d T er r y T e m p e st W illia m s’s D e se r t Q u a r t e t is n o t o n ly t o v isit o r b e a gu e st in a w e st e r n la n d sc a p e o f n a t u r a l fo r m s— o f h ig h r o c k s, b r il­ lia n t b lu e sk ie...