Description
In simple, darkly faceted stories, Philander Deming writes as a person whose childhood knowledge of the Adirondacks has been honed to a fine sense for its potential human tragedy.
In this, the first collection of his best work, a haunting vision of the Adirondacks comes through that is hard to forget. Deming’s themes revolve around deception and self-deception, loneliness, and good intentions gone awry. Most of his stories occur just before or after the Civil War. In almost every story, however, Deming shows his characters looking back towards the mountains, from the Mohawk or St. Lawrence Valley or from lonely settlements on the edge of the forest, or across Lake Champlain.
Few Adirondack writers have been so convincing in conveying the keen isolation of life in the northern forest and its peculiar effects on the human mind. The wilderness community is cruel, fostered by ignorance and isolation. In the end, the mountains, seemingly a neutral back drop against which individuals confront a collective morality, are the real source of his inspiration.
About the Author
Philander Deming, a lawyer by training, worked as a court reporter and stenographer. He became a significant literary figure in regional writing in the late nineteenth century.
Frank Bergmann, professor of English and German, is associate dean for arts and sciences at Utica University.
March 1997