Reading the River

General George Arney, Governor of New Mexico Territory c 1864
Collection of Jeremy Rowe©2001 jrowe@vintagephoto.com

 • Reading the River

 • Essay by Richard F. Fleck

 • Suggested Reading

Reading The River Book Discussion Series

A Colorado River Reader, edited by Richard F. Fleck, and published by The University of Utah Press, 2000, is an anthology of writings on the river served as the core book for the book discussion series.

The mystique of the Colorado River is no less enduring and powerful than is its physical presence in the landscape of the West.  Little wonder that through the centuries, narratives about the Colorado have abounded.  The Colorado River Reader collects many of these and sweeps readers along with the currents of the river, immersing them  in the controversies and bold tales, the myths, bravado, danger, and dialogue that swirl in its waters.  John Wesley Powell is here.  So is Ed Abbey.  And Linda Hogan.  Seventeen accounts in all - an invaluable collection, spanning hundreds of years and many cultures and voices, capturing an array of responses to the mysterious, turbulent, sinuous, awesome Colorado and its tributaries.

Three book discussion sessions provided opportunities to:
 
• Compare and contrast the symbolic meanings attached to the Colorado River as it flows through space and time, juxtaposing the language used to describe the river, explore the interconnectedness of creation myths and geologic time, highlight the collective consciousness of the river, and map its mythic meanings;

• Reflect back on the river as myth, for the project itself is an attempt to create an interpretive framework for understanding ourselves. We customarily look to the Colorado River and the West to reveal "natural" intricate webs of ecological history and relationships;
and

• Ask the humanities question  "Recognizing that the river is part of our western psyche, how is that realization reflected in the stories we tell ourselves about the West, and how do those stories influence our understanding of ourselves?"
 

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