Arts and Humanities Commons^™

Poetic Prophecies Of A Vintage Boy Scout: Robert Frost And Wilderness Therapy Theory, Andrew Shawn Andermatt

MALS Final Projects, 1995-2019

Roderick Nash, in his book Wilderness and the American Mind, argues that in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, "Too much civilization, not too little, seemed at the root of the nation's difficulties." With economic stability decreasing, social ties eroding, and young "up and comers" committing suicide, Robert Frost's approach to nature as a powerful, unforgiving yet playful, therapeutic force seems nothing short of realistic. For Frost, following historical patterns for development of cities and "idle hours" in the fields will only lead to increased divisions in labor and social class. Like the goals of wilderness experience programs such …