William Elliott in Alaska

William Elliott

What matters to Elliott?

Quick Summary

  • People’s relationships with their environments.

Will Elliott grew up in a log cabin in Alaska without electricity or roads, things that many take for granted as an integral part of life.

Elliott draws on those experiences to research how society’s perceptions of rural northern life shape our responses to real-world environmental issues. Elliott is primarily focused on the relationships between human, arts, and the environment in the northern regions of North America.

“Literary study is one way of exploring those relationships,” says Elliott, noting that not just outsiders, but even many residents relate to the North as a “frontier” or “blank slate,” profoundly influenced by stereotypical portrayals of the North in myth and media.

During the summer of 2012, Elliott conducted research at the University of Alaska, meeting many scholars who are developing this emerging interdisciplinary subfield.

Elliott’s focus on the north falls within the bounds of “green studies” or eco-criticism, an area of interest whose many aspects reach out into other departments, most prominently through the Environments and Societies Mellon Initiative on the UC Davis campus. The initiative brings together scholars and students from various disciplines, including literature and film, geography, social sciences, and others to address prevalent eco-social issues. “Environment is the ultimate multi-media,” Elliott says. “You can’t just take one approach.”

Receiving his education from these many different areas, as well as people, has helped Elliott recognize that an education comes from a variety of sources, and can’t be restricted to just one. “I approach education as a lifelong endeavor.”

Travel writing and adventure narratives are a big part of Elliott's study. So to better understand his material, he spent two weeks in Alaska climbing a new mountaineering route in Denali National Park. Check out his beautiful photo gallery.

Photo Credits: Will Elliott, Ben Meyer, Laron Thomas.

Media Resources

Secondary Categories

Graduate Student Success