LMC 2050: Preface of the Class & Our Texts
The 2022 LMC 2050 course is a seminar on the cultural history of trees. We started out the semester by learning about the death of the Tech Tower Oak, which was cut down because of a supposed disease. At the time of its death, the oak was over one hundred years old. The rest of our discussions were based around this champion tree and human/tree relations: How do humans, as a species, see trees? How has that changed throughout history? Should trees have rights? Are trees “alive” enough to be considered exploited? We explored these questions (and more) throughout the entirety of the semester. Below is a list of our class texts:
- Treepedia - Joan Maloof
This short “pocket-guide” is an introduction to the world of trees for the newly intrigued. Treepedia features brief dictionary-like entries that introduce the reader to detailed information, such as different parts of a tree, specific tree species, and even national parks. Additionally, Maloof includes stories about important people that work with trees of various types and their true origins. - Oak: The Frame of Civilization - William Bryant Logan
Logan’s book is a deep-dive into all things oak-related. He explores the history of the different oak species and how they have helped shape society as we know it today. - Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest - Suzanne Simard
In her ground-breaking memoir, Simard intertwines her personal story with an astounding revelation: trees communicate, and they do it a lot. Simard takes us through years of grueling research and setbacks; her research is fairly recent, and many doubted its validity, but she persevered and is now hailed as one of the leading tree experts in the world. - The Overstory - Richard Powers
The Overstory is a novel that follows the lives of many different people and how they were impacted by trees. Many of the events and people in Powers’ book were inspired by true stories — the environmental protests of the 1990s-2000s, the character of Patricia Westerford (based on Simard), and the tree-sitting carried out by Olivia and Nick (a common practice of tree activists). A quote from The Overstory can be seen in our epitaph for the Tech Tower Oak.
Who is Richard Powers?
Richard Powers is an American novelist whose work connects science, technology, and aesthetically provocative writing to express complex ideas through narrative. With a background in computer programming and a deep appreciation for art, Powers was inspired by the 1914 photograph "Young Farmers" to quit his programming job and write a novel about the people in the photograph. Combining this narrative style and science background, Powers explores a variety of themes about nature, humanity, and science.
Powers was inspired to write The Overstory after seeing a redwood tree while hiking in California. He was astounded by its size and age, and it made him feel as though he had “missed something obvious.” In preparation for writing The Overstory, Powers read over one hundred books about trees and also learned how to identify dozens of trees from attributes such as leaf shape and bark texture. The success of this novel overwhelmed Powers to the point where he considered retiring, but he has since released another novel that also addresses environmental issues. Bewilderment, his latest novel, follows the story of a father-and-son duo, simultaneously dealing with the loss of a mother and a fear for the deteriorating environment around them.
Powers received the Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for The Overstory and has also received other awards such as the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award, and the National Book Award throughout his career. Additionally, he has been nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award, another National Book Award, and another Pulitzer for other works of his. He has served as a professor of English at Stanford University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
Powers was inspired to write The Overstory after seeing a redwood tree while hiking in California. He was astounded by its size and age, and it made him feel as though he had “missed something obvious.” In preparation for writing The Overstory, Powers read over one hundred books about trees and also learned how to identify dozens of trees from attributes such as leaf shape and bark texture. The success of this novel overwhelmed Powers to the point where he considered retiring, but he has since released another novel that also addresses environmental issues. Bewilderment, his latest novel, follows the story of a father-and-son duo, simultaneously dealing with the loss of a mother and a fear for the deteriorating environment around them.
Powers received the Pulitzer Prize in 2019 for The Overstory and has also received other awards such as the James Fenimore Cooper Prize for Best Historical Fiction, the Harold D. Vursell Memorial Award, and the National Book Award throughout his career. Additionally, he has been nominated for the National Book Critics Circle Award, another National Book Award, and another Pulitzer for other works of his. He has served as a professor of English at Stanford University and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.