Nature in word

Fred Jüssi as a nature writer

Fred Jüssi first became known as a voice on the radio and a photographer, but over time has become a living classic of Estonian nature writing, one of the most important representatives of the nature writing genre in Estonia. In the film Olemise ilu, his musings provide good summaries of topics he has written about in his nature essays, such as the importance of residing in nature, the ability to value silence, and the observational skills needed to relate to both the surroundings and to oneself. By way of these topics, Jüssi has drawn attention to environmental change, as well as the transformation in human-nature relations, which has provided him great heartbreak. Fred Jüssi also undoubtedly has his favourite landscapes, for instance, he has written extensively about riverside forests and ponds, and also marshlands or islands. Important places in his stories include Kõrvemaa, Soomaa, and the island of Vilsandi.

Discussion on the basis of the film clip:

Pay attention to how Jüssi describes nature. How would you describe his experience?
What role do Jüssi's words play in the film? Would these words work even without the picture?

What is nature writing?

In the widest sense, nature writing is the mediation of nature, or one way of “translating” nature. In this sense, any written text that discusses nature may be viewed as nature writing.

But there is also a second, more narrow definition, which has been developed by the semiotician Kadri Tüür, who in analysing books and texts about Estonian nature found that they share some common lines. In the more narrow definition, nature writing comprises texts that depend on the authors’ personal experiences and valuations of nature, and which use literary techniques, but are also exact in the natural-scientific sense, and transmit real knowledge about the environment situated outside of the text. The objective of works of nature writing is to create interest in nature amongst readers, and in this way lead them into nature.

Nature writing is not literature in the classic sense, but is a field existing on the boundary of informative literature (such as tourism books and other documents), scientific literature, and literature as such. When dealing with nature writing one is usually dealing with an essay-like text written in prose.

Estonian nature writing and nature photography usually go hand in hand, with musings or thoughts presented alongside photographs. Fred Jüssi has also practiced this, with his most famous works such as Jäälõhkuja (“Ice Breaker”) or Rajamustrid (“Patterns of the Path”) being collections of both photographs as well as texts.

For examples of nature writing, let us look at two textual excerpts from Fred Jüssi:

“Not a single voice. No strokes of song […] And where have the butterflies of early spring gone, the golden brimstone butterfly and the small tortoiseshell butterfly with its energetic wings? Something is wrong. Or is this a bad dream? […] I snap a maple branch. At the point where it breaks, a glittering bead appears. […] No, this is not a dream; the flow of sap has begun. […] Evidently a cataclysm has occurred and by chance I happen to have made it to a small haven preserved in these forests. Or, despite every warning, has humankind once again succeeded in a new madness? Is this truly a voiceless spring? […] Suddenly a joyous chirping is heard. A squadron of tits has appeared on the edge of the forest. […] Oh no, it is not a catastrophe, just nature being misleading. It is the heart of winter, the time that the human consciousness usually associates with the toughest freezing and the coolest winds” (Jäälõhkuja 2007: 37-39).

“Silence has its own measure and it is different for everyone. Some cannot stand silence, while some need it more than others. But alternation is also needed. I cannot imagine silence lasting forever. It would, for instance, tire me out. We live in the mixed forest zone. I cannot imagine having to live without echoes in my ear. I have never heard the silence of the desert, but I know the silence of the open field, I have also worked with it. Finally it becomes unbearable, because with sounds also come echoes, and sounds have their own colours, and, for instance, the surroundings wherein sounds develop give them colour, and I consider these the sounds of nature. They are coloured by the humidity in the air, by the time of day. It is very interesting to hear them in some forest glade or next to a river. I have experienced this once in Kõrvemaa, on the Kakerdaja bog; I was out in the morning recording and that morning has always remained memorable on account of the colours of its sounds. It was so quiet that the sound of dogs barking in far-away villages where the people had not yet awoken reached the bog. Over the span of ten years there have been four or five of these types of mornings, but for some reason it was this occasion that I have especially remembered” (Mister Fred 2009: 247).

The characteristics of nature writing are especially noticeable in these excerpts of text:

The author’s own experience coincides with the expression of thoughts (the author and the I-character are the same, and much of the descriptions pertain to the author’s perceptions and sensations, for example, in the case of heard sounds).
In transmitting the experience of nature or in describing nature, an artistic style is used, or literary techniques are used (such as comparisons or the use of figurative language; in the above excerpts the use of short sentences to emphasise a point is an example of this).
The texts have a natural-scientific exactitude, and in addition to emotion they also provide information about the environment (for example, the use of correct nomenclature, such as “brimstone” or “tortoiseshell” butterflies).
The purpose of the texts is to awaken interest in or favour towards nature (for example, the description of an early-morning bog likely creates the desire to experience this for oneself on the part of the reader).
The centrality of place. The texts always have a dose of knowledge of Estonia, and the authors feel the importance of designating the places they are writing about. The texts name places and oftentimes transmit information characteristic of the concrete regions they are describing (as in local stories, names, and so on; Jüssi names Kakerdaja bog, for instance).

Of course, different authors write differently, and on account of this some texts may emphasise the characteristics of a place more than others. There are many natural-scientific authors who attempt to document the surroundings, while there are also authors who muse and mediate in more abstract or artistic ways.

Extra material

Maris Sõrmuse’s lecture on the Novaator website.
Kadri Tüür and Timo Maran’s overview article, or their radio lecture on the same topic
Kaisa-Maria Ling, Kristel Algvere and Lona Päll’s discussion circle on nature and how to write about environmental problems on the IDA radio show RÕHK.

Vaata seda lehte tahvlis või lauaarvutis, siis saad lahendada ka põnevaid ülesandeid.

Task 1

Listen to Fred Jüssi’s thoughts in the next film excerpt. Which of the above-mentioned characteristics of nature writing do you notice in his musings?

Task 2

How much nature writing exists in social media posts?

Nature writing—i.e. sharing own’s emotions, observations, and notes via text—has by no means disappeared in the age of the Internet. Instead, what has changed is the context, and the methods by which emotions and observations are shared. In contemporary times, for instance, they are spread through social media: Facebook, Instagram, etc. For the most part, emotions are shared via photos, or their related comments. Indeed, interaction on social media is primarily visual.

Find social media posts wherein experiences of nature or the environment are described, and analyse what the characteristic elements of nature writing are that one can find there.

One possibility is to search for signs of location (geotags) or keywords (hashtags) to find well-known visiting areas, and to see what people have written about in their visits to these spots. For instance, one could search for the known places in Estonia present in Fred Jüssi’s creations and the film Olemise ilu, such as Soomaa, Kõrvemaa, the Kakerdaja bog, Vilsandi national park, or the island of Vilsandi. Or one could search for a place known to you, or that is important to you.

Another possibility is to find posts on open social media pages or groups, where people have likely shared their observations or experiences of nature, such as the groups Allikalkäijad or Loodusesõbrad on Facebook. Sometimes long descriptions also accompany photos on the pages for the Estonian Ornithological Society or Matkajad groups.

A third possibility is to Google search some interesting place and find public blog posts. One of these is Kadri Aller’s (aka Saarehull’s) “Saarehullu päevaraamat” (“Diary of the Island-crazed”), wherein she tells stories of visiting small Estonian islands.

Find posts, wherein a photo or photos are accompanied by at least a few sentences, to make it possible to analyse texts.

Here are some examples of social media posts one could examine:

Kadri Aller’s (aka Saarehull’s) story about the island of Vesiloo on the website Bioneer.ee.

The mediation of personal experience. She describes her hike through the water to reach the island, including bumping into seal flippers, and so on.
Scientific accuracy. The naming of different species, the use of correct terminology, exactitude in the description of the island (fossils, plants), the sharing of information about the nature and local history of the place.
The attempt to awaken interest in the reader and lead them into nature. The text attempts to get people to visit the island, and even direct recommendations are given (she tells hikers to take some time, watch the sea while sitting on a stone and chewing on some sea cabbage, etc.).
Local information. The writer attempts to describe the specificities of Vesiloo, many local names and references are introduced, related to the local heritage and its stories (for instance, facts about the only person to have ever lived on the island).

Marek Laimetsa’s post on the Facebook group Allikalkäijad.

The mediation of personal experience. Description of the local beauty of the place, the visualisation of experiences.
Scientific accuracy. The use of correct terminology, the use of special place names.
Literary techniques or an artistic style. The place is compared to paradise.
Local information. Names places and describes the uniqueness of the area.

Neal Copperman’s post about the Soomaa national park with geotag.

The mediation of personal experience. Description of the place’s beauty, the mention of canoeing.
Literary techniques or an artistic style. The expression of emotion via evaluative or value-based vocabulary.

Add a screen shot of the example.

Task 3

Take a trip outside. This could be an excursion into nature, or even just a walk in your own neighbourhood, and write a small passage about it in the style of Jüssi or the social media posts examined above. Use characteristics of nature writing (for example, attempt to write with factual accuracy, to mediate one’s own experiences, or to use some kind of literary technique). Not all of the characteristics of nature writing need to be represented or in equal proportion, as all writers are different.

The place of which you write does not have to be wilderness, but could be an urban environment (such as a garden or a street) or an artificial one wherein nature is found (such as a park or botanical garden). The description could be accompanied with a photo, if possible (see the study module “Nature in Photo”).

Share your musings and photos with group- or classmates via some predetermined social media or Internet website. If you do not wish to make these public on your Facebook or Instagram profiles, then in the settings make these posts private or only accessible to certain followers (make special albums or groups with specific settings). One possibility is to share screenshots between members. If necessary, it is possible to make new Instagram accounts or Facebook albums, using special hashtags on the posts, or other such methods.