Carrie Elder
Dr. Teresa Coronado
Eng 451
28 Oct 2015
Summer on the Lakes
Travel narratives can offer readers
a chance to explore different landscapes and oceans from the comfort of their home.
In addition, these narratives can offer insight into the minds of the authors
and what values they associate with the nature around them. Travel narratives
are about more than exploring and seeing new sights; they are also about
rationalizing the world around us. Margaret Fuller’s written account of her
trip around the Great Lakes. A particular secitoin focuses on her time on a
steamboat on Milwaukee, Wisconsin where she marvels at the beauty of the lakes around
her. Fuller also talks about the social and cultural happenings that are
connected, and also removed, from life by the lakes. Summer on the Lakes by Margaret Fuller belongs in the Maritime
Literature canon because of its function as a text that is concerned with
rationalizing and dissecting the lakes in Wisconsin and how they function in
our understanding of the natural space around us.
Margaret Fuller was a writer, scholar,
and feminist. Her perception of the lakes is framed by her leanings as an
educated women. The way in which she approaches the beauty of the lakes is also
informed by her social ideals. But underneath her social ideas lies a simple
appreciation for the Great Lakes. William W. Stowe writes, “There can be no question
about Fuller’s enjoyment of the natural world and her philosophical interest in
the idea of nature. Her letters testify to her outdoor pleasures and her
interest in the ‘correspondences’ between nature and the consciousness“ (Stowe 25).
Fuller’s social and philosophical ideas play into her enjoyment and metacognition
about nature, specifically the Great Lakes. Her social views cause her
perceptions about the lakes to be constantly changing and growing once she is
presented with new information. Fuller’s viewpoints are subject to criticism as
well; after all, this text was written in a different time and is therefore
bound to have problematic elements that come from moving into a more modern
period. Though some elements are dated, Fuller’s preoccupation with the lakes
is still a relatable piece of this text.
Fuller’s interest in the lakes
preludes her writing in order to set the tone for the rest of the text. A selection
in the text reads, “From water Venus is born, what more could you have? It is
the mother of Beauty, the girdle of earth, and the marriage of nations” (Fuller
12). Here we see water being praised for its aesthetic and spiritual value,
along with being established as a connector of lands and cultures. By
associating water with the goddess of beauty Venus, water is recognized as the
epitome of all things beautiful. This raises the aesthetic significance of
water so that is must be revered and worshipped. Furthermore, relating water to
the beginnings of water of Earth stresses that it is a constant space that has
been here before humans have, and therefore should be respected. Finally, recognizing
that bodies of water connects continents and people together stresses the
cultural and social importance of water to people and how they interact with
one another. Fuller’s writing on the different but equally important aspects of
water reveals how important this text is to thinking about how water can
function in a variety of ways. The author understands that water is always in
flux and therefore its significance can take on diverse aspects.
Fuller continues to analyze the
complexities of bodies of water. She focuses on the technical and mechanical aspects
of performed labor on the lakes. In one selection, she scrutinizes the language
of seamen, “There can be no plodding, groping words and motions on my water as
there on your earth. There is no time, no chance for them where all moves so
rapidly, though so smoothly; everything connected with water must be like
itself, forcible but clear. That is why sea-slang is so poetical; there is a
word for everything and every act, and a thing for every word. Seamen must
speak quick and bold, but also with utmost precision” (Fuller 13). This
selection talks about sea-faring language like it is narrative prose; it talks
about the functions and artistry that is associated with it. Furthermore, it
establishes it as a legitimate form of communication between people, as if it
is its own language. The precision of maritime language is connected to the
idea that every act carried while on the water is important and must be done quickly.
The language must also reflect the grace of the water itself because they are
inextricably bound by the reverence carried by the water itself. The aesthetics
of the lakes are not the only things that are valued in this text; the
complexities of the language surrounded it are also stressed as significant to
an understanding about how Fuller thinks these lakes function. Examining the
varied meanings of water beyond aesthetics is important to understanding how
water functions in maritime narratives. Fuller offers an introduction to this
type of discourse in this selection, therefore marking this book as vital to a
maritime literature discussions.
Fuller also examines how water can
affect the lives of the people who live around it and rely on it for trade and
other goods. The lakes are beautiful, but they also provide a means of service,
trade, and consumption. As a result of this, the lives of people living by the
lakes is tied to the lakes themselves and often their moods can be affect by
it. As demonstrated by Fuller’s
observation of people by the pier in Milwaukee, it is often familial and social
ties that connect people to the lakes if they are not on it for labor purposes,
“The boats come in and out every day, and still afford a cause for general
excitement. The people swarm down to greet them, to receive or send away their
packages and letters. To me they seemed such mighty messengers, to give, by
their noble motion, such an idea of the power and fullness of life, that they
were worthy of carrying messages from king to king. It must be very pleasant for
those who have an active share in carrying on the affairs of this great and
growing world to see them approach and pleasant to such as have dearly loved
friends at the next station. To those who have neither business nor friends, it
somehow gives a desolating sense of insignificance” (Fuller 58). The people by
the pier are all significantly affected by the coming and going by the boats
because they either bring them goods or they are providing close ties to
family. The lakes are a place where family and social bonds are maintained,
therefore making the importance for this body of water something greater than
its aesthetic value. This particular lake is a place where people are
connected. Moreover, a lack of social and familial ties can change the way
someone views the pier. The perception of the lake can be changed based on
certain circumstances, as a result making the overall function of water
malleable. The lakes can mean different things to different people while still
being the same body of water that it always will be. The perception of the lake
is also bound to its importance as a sacred piece of nature, as evidenced by
Fuller’s assentation that those who travel by boat and deliver gifs and goods
to lands must be significant because of their job being on the water. This perception
refers back to the earlier connect of water of Venus and the beginning of
civilization. Water is sacred and revered in this text, even subtly. Those who
work, live, and speak a language tied to the lake are treated with respect and
significance because of their connection to the cradle of civilization that is
water. Additionally, those who are removed from it, by lack of familial bonds
or because they do not perform labor associated with the lakes, live insignificant
or sad lives, according to Fuller, because they are not bound to this magical
place where everything began. This is an example of Fuller using her philosophical
metacognition to theorize about the lives and functions of people who live
around the lakes. Her ability to do this makes this narrative a special piece
of text that is very human; it is about the lakes and the people who encounter
them, and how they’re lives are changed or bettered because of their dwelling
by the lakes.
Therefore, Summer in the Lakes is a text that has the lakes serving as a back
drop to the human interactions between nature and the self. This does not
diminish the importance of this text to the maritime literature canon. It is
because of this emphasis on people’s interaction and connection to the lakes,
to nature, that makes this text so vital to a further understanding about the
function of water to our overall understanding of our place amongst any body of
water we encounter. In order to think about how people interact with water, it
stands to reason that we read about people encountering it firsthand.
Furthermore, Fuller’s own perception of the lakes, their beauty, and their
function is important to analyze in order to understand how her own perceptions
might color our own. Fuller connects the water all the way back to Venus, the
goddess of beauty, and therein establishes water as the most beautiful thing
you can come across. Maritime literature scholars can question where Fuller’s
standards of beauty might come from and how they come into play in describing
the lakes. Summer in the Lakes by
Margaret Fuller is a rich narrative that provides seemingly endless opportunities
for discussion about the Great Lakes and water in general. As David Greven
writes, “The loose, capacious text allows Fuller to roam about not only geographically,
but aesthetically, temporally, and textually” (Greven 41), further proving that
Fuller’s text is rife with a variety of thoughts about the lakes from different
trains of thought. Because of this diversity, Summer in the Lakes is an excellent addition to the maritime
literature canon.
Works Cited
Fuller,
Margaret. Summer in the Lakes, in 1843. Boston:
Roberts Brothers. 1874. Web.
Stowe, William W. "'Busy Leisure': Margaret
Fuller, Nature, And Vacation Writing." Isle: Interdisciplinary Studies In
Literature And Environment 9.1 (2002): 25-43. MLA International Bibliography.
Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Greven, David. “New Girls and Bandit Brides: Female Narcissism
and Lesbian Desire in Margaret Fuller’s Summer
in the Lakes.” Legacy: A Journal of American Women Writers 29:1 (2012): 37-62.
Web.
Summer on the Lakes link: http://content.wisconsinhistory.org/cdm/ref/collection/tp/id/45084
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