I am back in my room after having listened to Barry Lopez speak. I can't summarize his talk, can't begin to even process half of it, but here are some quotes I was able to get down:
He quoted Robert Duncan, I believe, "The drama of our time is the coming of all men into a single fate." This was written in the '50's so men refers to the human race.
His approach to nonfiction involves a bow of respect to the material, a bow of respect to the reader, and he believes the hinge is the structure in which the story is told.
"Diversity is a necessity for the continuation of life."
Paraphrase: The university years are important for two reasons:
To discover what you mean
To learn how to say it.
"Language asks everyday, 'Don't abandon me.'"
Story reminds people of what they already now. People don't want away from a novel saying, "I didn't know that before." Not on a fundamental level. On the elemental level, the novel has reminded them of something that they already knew.
Amazing talk. Most of these things are paraphrased and/or explained from my notes. Only those in direct quotations are taken as Barry phrased them.
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