the general application of the generic term. The original Chinese term
itself is a bit more narrowly defined; it is a relatively new prose and prose
poetry genre that appeared in Taiwan circa the early 1980s, now known
as I然KL or I然NK“Nature Writing” (familiar with and influenced
by, but distinct from the well-established American genre of the same
name). It has been defined by Wu Mingyi as a category that “manifests a
number of cross-disciplinary qualities ([from] literature, philosophy,
history, natural science.. .)” and is deeply intertwined with “the natural
environment, the social environment, intellectual movements [in the
humanities], even politics and economics” (Wu 2004: 38–62). In addition
to Wu’s description, we could add that Nature Writing contains various
mixtures of: prose and poetry; highly subjective, sometimes creative and
imaginative observations and reflections on nature; warnings or protests
about development and pollution; documentation of personal encounters
with nature and/or wilderness [the latter a disputed term in Taiwanese
academic analyses of nature writing]; as well as scientific and statistical
facts and analyses.- A favorite term of Thoreau’s; see the “Economy” chapter of Waldenfor
Thoreau’s tour-de-force appropriation—indeed, wholesale redefinition—
of business and economic terminology. I thank Leonard Neufeldt for
teaching me how to read Thoreau. - I hesitate to treat Chinese (language) nature writing as a genre so unique as to
preclude its inclusion within well-established Western traditions. Yet I also
believe that the translation and interpretation of I然KL/I然NKshould
from the outset retain and respect the genre’s cultural, social, and linguistic
integrity. In other words, one goal in this process is to avoid marginalizing
I然KL/I然NK as the “Chinese contribution” to an authoritative
discourse emanating from America and Europe. Here it may be helpful to
recall that the works of Mencius were historically among the first to directly
address the ethical importance of sustainable agricultural practices:
Cugu buru wuchi, yu bie buke shengshi ye. Fu jin yishi ru shanlin, caimu
buke shengyong ye 數PG入RS、GTUVW。YZ[時入]林,
材木GTU用W“If close nets are not allowed to enter the pools and ponds,
the fishes and turtles will be more than can be consumed. If the axes and bills
enter the hills and forests onlyat the proper time, the wood will be more than
can be used” (Mencius 1970: 130–131). - Davis reveals the unconsciousprocesses fueling this fouling: “In dominat-
ing nature, subjects attain the illusion of inner dominance; in imposing our
will on nature we assure ourselves we have triumphed within. Nature
becomes that other we must treat with contempt, especially when she
shows herself in power, sheer magnificence, radical independence, unrav-
ished splendor. And so we go forth subduing nature in order to extinguish
something in ourselves we are intent on denying. We must eradicate the
spectre by squeezing every energy out of the ecosystem, leaving as
testimony to our will the scorched earth at our backs as we rush to greener
fields” (Davis 2001: 90–91).
98 Nick Kaldis