Jacob's Wound: A Search for the Spirit of Wildness - Softcover

Herriot, Trevor

3.86

14 ratings by Goodreads

9781555916169: Jacob's Wound: A Search for the Spirit of Wildness

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555916163 ISBN 13: 9781555916169

Publisher: Fulcrum Publishing, 2009

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“The prose of Jacob’s Wound is smooth and burnished, with many poetic touches and images of startling clarity.”—Globe and Mail

This highly acclaimed work reflects on the nature that we, and our religions, sprang from. The biblical story of Jacob, the patriarch of the Judeo-Christian tradition wrestling with a spirit, has been interpreted in a multitude of ways, but never more persuasively than by Trevor Herriot in Jacob’s Wound. The central idea is that Jacob, representing the farmer and civilized man, suffers a deep wound when he swindles the birthright of Esau, representing the hunter and primitive man. Herriot queries whether we, as Jacob did with Esau, can eventually reconcile with the wilderness that we have conquered and have been estranged from for so long. Jacob’s Wound takes readers on an untrodden path through history, nature, science, and theology, sharing stories and personal experiences that beautifully illuminate what we once were and what we have become.

Trevor Herriot is the author of River in a Dry Land, which was highly praised by reviewers and won four awards. A self-taught naturalist and a Catholic who has recently returned to the church, Herriot has lived most of his life in Saskatchewan.

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From the Inside Flap:

The award-winning author of "River in a Dry Land explores the Nature that we - and our religions - sprang from
The Genesis story of Jacob, the patriarch of the Judeo-Christian tradition, wrestling with a spirit has been interpreted in a multitude of ways, but never more persuasively than by Trevor Herriot in "Jacob's Wound. He sees it as a struggle between Jacob and his wilder twin brother, Esau, whose birthright Jacob has swindled. The central idea of Herriot's brilliantly written, observant, and groundbreaking book is the wound that Jacob, the farmer, the civilized man, suffered in vanquishing Esau, the hunter, the primitive man. And the central question posed is whether we, as Jacob did with Esau, can eventually reconcile with the wildness we conquered and have been estranged from for so long.
As if ambling through the author's beloved Qu'Appelle Valley in Saskatchewan, "Jacob's Wound takes readers on an untrodden path through history, memoir, science, and theology. Along the way, Herriot tells us stories of the past and present that illuminate what we once were and what we have become. It's a measured journey motivated by curiosity rather than by destination, and at every turn there is insight and beautiful writing.

About the Author:

Trevor Herriot is the author of River in a Dry Land, which was highly praised by reviewers and won four awards. A self-taught naturalist and a Catholic who has recently returned to the Church, Herriot has lived most of his life in Saskatchewan.

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