Nature: The Classicist’s View | University Libraries

Nature as a work of art

Dr. Church saw beauty and infinity in the natural world, and he could not help but view nature through the lens of his classical training. His descriptions of nature are often poetic and personified, with comparisons drawn between nature and works of art. His writing shows nature not only as an object of study, but as one of reverence and grandeur.

The beauty and majesty of nature made up an essential part of Dr. Church’s endeavors: he was eager to capture it through narrative and photographs so that he could share it with a wide audience.

In his own writing

The Greenland expedition diaries, comprising 14 volumes, provide an almost-daily account of two expeditions spanning from 1926 to 1928. They stand as a unique scientific expedition narrative told by a scholar/scientist, resulting in a particularly engaging, personal, and descriptive literary style.

Detail from the entry on Camp Little in Greenland.

Sunset and Immortality

Weather and poetry

Greenland expedition diaries, preliminary trip, p. 89.

Detail from an diary entry by Dr. Church describing the skies in Greenland.

A Radiance of Heliotrope

The sun and sky

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 1, p. 89.

Detail from a diary entry by Dr. Church describing golden clouds.

Clouds Illumined in Gold

Clouds and other natural features

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 1, p. 114.

Diary entry in which Dr. Church draws comparisons between the Sierra Nevada and Greenland.

The Miraculous Heart

Comparisons to the Sierra

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 2, p. 44.

A detail from a diary entry by Dr. Church describing the conditions on the ship he took to Greenland.

Nature’s Sculpture Gallery

On the ship to Greenland

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 3, p. 9-10.

A Radiant Halo

The cold and aurora

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 4, p. 32-33.

Works cited

Greenland expedition diaries, preliminary trip, James Edward Church Papers, NC96_13_1.

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 1, James Edward Church Papers, NC96_13_3_1.

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 2, James Edward Church Papers, NC96_13_3_2.

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 3, James Edward Church Papers, NC96_13_4_1.

Greenland expedition diaries: volume 4, James Edward Church Papers, NC96_13_4_2.

Print of hand-drawn portrait of Dr. Church in Greenland by Arla Knudsen, James Edward Church Papers, NC96_22_72_30.

Snow scientist tells philosophy: Development of snow surveying and water forecasting described. (1944, May 11). Reno Evening Gazette, p. 3.