As the title illustrates, ‘Landscape and Narrative’ by Barry Lopez illustrates the relationship between the landscape and a narrative. The author illustrates that a narrative serves its purpose if it manages to illustrate the relationship between the interior and the exterior landscape effectively and in an orderly manner.
The exterior landscape represents the earth and the ecosystem while the interior landscape represents the mind, thoughts and everything that happens in a person’s mind. Therefore, it is clear that Lopez uses the issue of landscape to illustrate the role of a narrative as well as the points that ought to be considered to come up with an effective narrative.
Lopez illustrates that a narrator should have knowledge on the interior and exterior landscape to come up with an effective narrative. Since the exterior landscape represents the land, a narrator is supposed to have a lot of knowledge on the same to be in a position to effectively provide the relationship between the two landscapes. However, since it is not possible to have full knowledge on the land or the exterior landscape, observing the relationship between different elements can be very helpful.
Most importantly, the author illustrates that full knowledge can only be realized if all the elements are studied together not separately. For instance, in an organization, there are different departments and the importance of each department can only be understood if someone studies how the whole system works. By so doing, the narrator is able to represent the exterior environment in such a way that the reader can identify with it and believe the narrator.
Apart from that, the way it is presented is also a consideration as well as the phrases used since it is important to ensure that all readers at all levels can be in a position to grasp the main idea and understand the content. In that case, Lopez has succeeded in illustrating how a story can be informative since it is a main prerequisite of an effective narrative.
The role of a narrative is also a major idea that is brought out throughout the whole story. Lopez illustrates that a well organized story that unites the two landscapes is able to result to a state of well being since it is stated that “ The listener who takes the story to heart will feel pervasive sense of congruence within himself and also in the world “(Lopez pp. 44).
Therefore, according to Lopez, a well written story has got the power of healing and even nurturing the spirit of human beings after uniting the interior and the exterior landscape. Moreover, it provides individuals with knowledge concerning various elements in the land through studying their relationship as illustrated by the narrator.
Lopez uses the example of a narrative to illustrate the constituents of an effective narrative as well as the eventual roles played by the same. Use of the wolverine stories is very effective since by so doing, the reader grasps the intent of the author without major difficulties.
Moreover, the story also illustrates the power of presenting information of the exterior environment in an orderly manner and in a way that the reader can identify with the elements of the land. As a result, the author is able to believe the narrator and to take the information as truth. As an example, Lopez explains that after sending the information about the wolverine to a friend, she got a positive response though the friend had never seen the creatures.
Therefore, although Lopez does not concentrate so much on presentation, she has made a major contribution in illustrating not only the role, but also the constituents of `the story. In conclusion, Lopez states that “As long as the storyteller carefully describes the order before him, and uses his story telling skill to heighten and emphasize certain relationships, it is even possible for the story to be more successful than the story teller himself is able to imagine” (Lopez pp. 146).
Work Cited
Lopez, Barry. Landscape and Narrative . 1970. Web.