What is the author's tone in the book, Fen, Bog and Swamp?

The tone of Fen, Bog and Swamp is as varied as the perspectives and tenses employed by the author. Because each chapter can be read as a stand alone essay, and because of the cyclical nature of Proulx’s writing, the tone varies from optimistic and hopeful to sorrowful and cynical, to awestruck and admirable, and even disdainful and contemptuous. These shifting tones are symbolic of the ephemeral and nebulous dynamics at work in the natural world. They also serve to confound the reader’s understanding of the author, and position her opinions on the topics presented as complex and nuanced.

As the author changed subject material, the tone changes with it. Sections of the book that focus on historical records bear a very different tone to those dedicated to relating scientific studies, which are themselves different from sections focused on Proulx’s personal anecdotes. This constantly changing tone keeps the reader on their toes, and conveys the multifaceted ways in which ecosystems are embedded into the human experience.

In the author’s note entitled “Why fens, bogs and swamps?” the author promises her reader to avoid language that is so esoteric or technical as to detract from the emotional pull of her writing. This is a promise that she upholds. Because much of the language surrounding the ecology of wetlands is not common vernacular, the author made a conscious decision to exclude it. Instead she opts for the simplest vocabulary that serves to create a relatable and instructive tone. When she does encounter a little-know word that is she feels necessary to use, she italicizes it and defines it immediately.

While much of the book bears a pessimistic tone about modern human impact on the environment, the author provides the reader with buoyancy by interspersing the chapters with optimistic accounts of reclamation efforts. This tone functions to leave the reader at once saddened by the state of affairs, and also inspired to become a positively involved in conservation efforts.