Death by Landscape - Analysis
Critical Analysis Essay by Wiegand Maechtlen EN 4903
“Death by Landscape” (1990) By Margaret Atwood Death by Landscape is a short story, written by Margaret Atwood in 1990. The Author is a Canadian novelist, poet and essayist as well as an environmental activist and feminist with many national and international awards for her writings and activities. She was born in Ottawa, Canada and started to write when she was six years old. At the age of 16 she already knew that she wants to become a professional writer. She grew up in the outback of northern Quebec, maybe that’s the reason for her love to nature and northern environments and this is what builds the frame of most of her works. The story was first published in 1991 and is a part of her short story collections. Death by Landscape describes the uneasy living with implanted guilt because of being accused of something what never happened or of just being at the wrong place to the wrong time. Margaret Atwood writes about an elderly woman, Lois, who lives in an apartment in Toronto (page1.block1). Lois brought her collection of paintings with her when she moved in this apartment from her former family house. These paintings are all landscapes of the Canadian outback and countryside with forests, trees, lakes and islands. Her husband Rob already died and her boys already grew up. She is living alone, alone with her memories, especially the memory to one particular happening in her youth when she grew up and went camping in a summer camp in Canada’s northern forests. She went to this camp “Manitou” since she was nine years old and since she was ten she had a special friend – Lucy – coming along to this summer camp with her. Lucy was from the United States, from Chicago, and she was brought to this summer Camp Manitou because her mother was Canadian and went also to this camp when she was young (p.2,bl.3, par.3/4). Her father who lost one eye in the war was American. When Lois was fourteen they went on a one week
“Death by Landscape” (1990) By Margaret Atwood Death by Landscape is a short story, written by Margaret Atwood in 1990. The Author is a Canadian novelist, poet and essayist as well as an environmental activist and feminist with many national and international awards for her writings and activities. She was born in Ottawa, Canada and started to write when she was six years old. At the age of 16 she already knew that she wants to become a professional writer. She grew up in the outback of northern Quebec, maybe that’s the reason for her love to nature and northern environments and this is what builds the frame of most of her works. The story was first published in 1991 and is a part of her short story collections. Death by Landscape describes the uneasy living with implanted guilt because of being accused of something what never happened or of just being at the wrong place to the wrong time. Margaret Atwood writes about an elderly woman, Lois, who lives in an apartment in Toronto (page1.block1). Lois brought her collection of paintings with her when she moved in this apartment from her former family house. These paintings are all landscapes of the Canadian outback and countryside with forests, trees, lakes and islands. Her husband Rob already died and her boys already grew up. She is living alone, alone with her memories, especially the memory to one particular happening in her youth when she grew up and went camping in a summer camp in Canada’s northern forests. She went to this camp “Manitou” since she was nine years old and since she was ten she had a special friend – Lucy – coming along to this summer camp with her. Lucy was from the United States, from Chicago, and she was brought to this summer Camp Manitou because her mother was Canadian and went also to this camp when she was young (p.2,bl.3, par.3/4). Her father who lost one eye in the war was American. When Lois was fourteen they went on a one week