Dear Readers,

With the recent conclusion of our group’s series on novels and their big-screen adaptations, the time has come to announce the next phase of our literary journey forthwith. In keeping with the polished writing style and episodic nature of the Monday Book Club’s May selection, Diane Smith’s “Letters from Yellowstone,” I have decided to humbly submit my comments on the novel in the form of a letter.

Indeed, letters are the fundamental ingredient of Smith’s ambitious novel. It does not employ the traditional narrative structure, per se; instead, Smith has sculpted her tale through the judicious use of correspondence — her book is a collection of letters written by the main characters.

Smith

Smith’s novel comprises the book club’s May selection and is the first in our “Science in Fiction” series (not to be confused, of course, with science fiction, which would be an entirely different endeavor).

The narrative traces the experiences of one A.E. Bartram. Bartram is a student who joins a nature expedition to the newly designated Yellowstone Park in 1898. Bartram’s colleagues are fairly shocked at her arrival — they had assumed she was a man.

And such begins the group’s journey into the fairly untrodden wilderness that was then Yellowstone. Smith’s tome takes her characters on an exploration of their attitudes toward science, nature, God and the humble role of Homo sapiens amidst all this pristine beauty.

Approaching the task of reading and reviewing this novel with a certain degree of skepticism, imagine my surprise and delight when I discovered a sheaf of pages full of thoughtful, well-developed characters whose voices speak loudly from their missives! A.E. “Alex” Bartram’s curiosity and enthusiasm for nature make her an engaging and witty adventurer. She is joined by the wry observations of the bourbon-soaked Dr. Rutherford and the habitually worried Dr. Merriam, the leader of the expedition.

The book club’s discussion leader, C. Campbell, has engaged in a worthy amount of study on Smith’s novel, and has compiled an annotated list of issues she feels are worthy of discussion by our colleagues at the upcoming meeting on 23 May at 6 p.m. at Taylor Books.

* Questions regarding the role of science amid considerations of religion and myth rise to the forefront of any contemplation of the novel. Are we to believe that science represents the “truth” about nature or must we conclude that scientific study is simply another way to categorize and understand human experience?

* One struggle that continues to weigh heavily on one’s mind is the notion that we should set aside some parcel of nature and allow these expanses to thrive in their pristine conditions, without any intervention from man. Of course, the complication that arises from this proposition is the inveterate task of achieving conciliation between the preservation of nature and the human need to experience it firsthand.

* Feminism emerges as a somewhat less important but thought-provoking aspect of the story in that Miss Bartram must battle against a great deal of resistance to her presence on the expedition team. Ironically, Miss Bartram is the most disciplined of the academics on the trip, the scientist who engages in her studies with a most serious determination.

I trust that you will enjoy this thoughtful and engaging novel, as have I, and look forward to a discussion of its diverse ideas at the meeting in a few short weeks.

Until then, yours sincerely,

R.C. Davis

To contact Regina C. Davis, use e-mail or call 348-7936.