Literary Criticism, American
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Synopsis
Living in the high, harsh, dry plains of Wyoming, where the struggle to survive shapes all who live there, Romtvedt uses the windmill as a metaphor, taking the reader on a search of fundamental truths in the commonplace elements of daily existence.Editorials
Library Journal
This is a collection of essays about the rural West written by a resident of a small Wyoming town. As Thoreau used Walden Pond, Romtvedt (Crossing Wyoming, White Pine, 1992. pap.) uses the ubiquitous windmill as metaphor. Because it brings water for livestock, agriculture, and human consumption, it stands as a beacon for life in the West. Is it irony that something so plentiful in the Westwindis used to deliver something so scarcewater? Romtvedt says that "water is the guiding rule of our lives and the most important metaphor in our vision of place...we in the interior west share...a commitment to place." In his essays on his small town, the local economy, the local culture, being a nonhunter, death, sheep, and weather, Romtvedt indeed conveys a sense of place and simple wisdom. Recommended for regional, large public, and academic libraries.Thomas K. Fry, Univ. of DenverBook Details
Published
May 1, 1997
Publisher
Red Crane Books
Pages
256
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9781878610621