Summary

In "The Real in Its Wonder (Language III)," Abram wanders through the Badlands. He observes the terrain, and considers its history. Its vastness makes him realize how "hopelessly insignificant the human is" (261). When he sees a sign for trash disposal, the "entire landscape deflates" (262). He muses on the written word's ability to strip the mystery out of the world. Words can describe an expansive space, but also threaten to limit it.

The modern human's understanding of the earth is "filtered through" a thicket of "technologies" (263). Air conditioners, electric lights, heaters, and headphones detach the individual from sensory engagement with the natural world (263). Abram acknowledges that "every human language" creates a filter for experience, yet writing specifically minimizes the individual's ability to immerse herself within sensory reality (265).

Abram discusses the history of oral languages, and their innate relationship to...