Christopher Lucas
23 February, 2004

Article Review

Sheila Nickerson: The Artic in Literature

and

Elle Tracy: The Southern End of the Earth: Antarctic Literature

Sheila Nickerson: The Artic in Literature

            Sheila Nickerson highlights the exploration of the Artic North. She begins her article by differentiating between Antarctica and Artic. The Artic is comprised of nine seas in constant flux with shifting ice patterns, versus the Antarctic which is a solid land mass. The exploration of the Artic began as early as 320 B.C. as seafarers traveled North in search of an open polar sea. Nickerson points out that the access to open water, availability of whales, fur, and a desire to convert native people lead to a continued and sustained effort to explore the region.

            Along with chronicling the exploration of the Polar North, Nickerson addresses the simple survivability of the Artic environment.  She points out that "adaptability in the Artic means the difference between life and death" (391).  Nickerson cites the example of George De Long's and his failed journey to the North Pole in which only six members of the crew survived.  De Long's expedition is contrasted with that of the Norwegian explorer Fridtjof Nansen, who successfully survived three years in the polar seas after reading about De Long's failures.

            Nickerson also points out that while Europeans are given credit for explorations, often there were native people traveling with them that have been overlooked by history.  These native people contributed to the successful explorations in countless ways, yet they receive little or no credit.  As one successful veteran explorer pointed out, "The Artic can easily be lived in if one adapts to the lifestyle of its indigenous people" (392).

Elle Tracy: The Southern End of the Earth: Antarctic Literature

            Elle Tracy, like the explorers she read about, has lived in the Antarctic.  She spent close to a year at McMurdo Station, 720 nautical miles from the South Pole. During this time she gained a far better understanding of Antarctica and its literature than most people will have.

            Tracy notes that, "unlike the six other continents, Antarctica is the only continent sighted and explored by people after the advent of the printing press" and that principally, "Antarctica has been seen through the literary eyes of men" (395). The majority of literature has been produced by English-speaking European men even though there have been explorers from a variety nationalities.

            Tracy points out that "uniformly, every book written about the natural world of Antarctic climes reflects the constant subjugation of the writer to its deadly cold and unforgiving nature. So it is with the consistent urging of the natural Antarctic world that its pristine landscape is revealed in literature" (397).  

            Tracy summarizes her article by examining the question of why people would undertake such a journey to begin with. For explorers like Cherry-Garrard of the Scott party, the reasons were intellectual.  Cherry-Garrard states: "Exploration is the physical expression of the intellectual passion" (397).  In Tracy's case, the experience was spiritual as well as cerebral, bringing her closer to nature. She points out that as a result of living in the Antarctic she has been made aware of how "natural I am in the world where I live" (397).

Questions:

1.         How did the relatively late exploration of the Antarctic affect the literature of exploration for that region?

2.         How does the desire to conquer and succeed on our own terms affect exploration and Romantic Literature?

3.         (Objective 3a.) In reference to the article by Nickerson, how much of the drive to explore a function of the "western psyche"?