From the Center of Tradition: Critical Perspectives on Linda Hogan ed. by Barbara J. Cook (review)

B o o k R e v ie w s 1 2 9 “Kin gdom , Ph ylum , Class, O rder: Tw en tieth -Cen tu ry A m er ican N atu re W riters,” tw o essays or igin ally p u b lish ed t e n years ap ar t, t h e read er can qu ick ly see th e d ir ect lin k b et w een R o n a ld ’s in sigh tfu l an aly ses o f liter atu r e an d h er carefu l o b ser v at ion s o f p lace an d h er em er gin g ecocr it ism , a lin k w h ich m ark s “th e t e n t ativ e b ir th o f t h e sp ecialt y w e n ow so con fid en t ly call ‘e n v ir on m en tal lit ­ er at u re’” (1 6 5 ). It is clear by t h e en d o f R eader o f the Purple Sage t h a t R o n ald h as ch ar ted h er acad em ic t rail t h r ou gh m an y n ew t e n it or ies. In so m e cases, r ead ers w ill fin d t h e gr ou n d n ow w ell trod d en , b u t in o t h er cases, R o n ald con tin u es as a p ion eer, in tertw in in g h er stu d y o f literatu re w ith e colo gical an aly sis an d p er ­ so n al n a n at iv e . Fr o m t h e C e n t e r o f T r a d it io n : C r i t ic a l P e r sp e c t iv e s o n L i n d a H o g an . E d . B a r b ar a J. C o o k . B o u ld e r : U n i v e r si t y P r e ss o f C o l o r a d o , 2 0 0 3 . 2 0 8 p a g e s, $ 3 9 .9 5 / $ 1 6 .9 5 . R e v ie w e d b y V a n e s s a H a ll P u r d u e U n iv e r sit y , W e st L a fa y e t t e , I n d ia n a Kn o w n for in ten sely lyrical an d ev o cativ e prose an d p oetry t h at u n flin ch ­ in gly treats h u m an an d e n v ir o n m en tal d esecrat io n , Lin d a H o gan is o n e o f th e m o st prolific an d acclaim ed con tem p or ar y N at iv e A m e r ican au th ors. H ogan h as au t h o r ed t h r ee n ovels, sev e n b oo k s o f poetry, an d a m em oir; h er b od y o f w ork ad d ition ally in clu d es n u m erou s ed ited , au th ored , an d /or co-au t h or ed b o o k - len gth p u b licat ion s an d essays. W h ile o v er th e p ast d ecad e critics an d sch o lar s o f liter atu r e h av e in cr easin gly p r ov id e d com m en t ar y an d an aly sis o f H o g...