Elizabeth Bishop "Delicate Ethnographer

Anne Shifrer Utah State University Logan, Utah 84322-3200 Elizabeth Bishop as Delicate Ethnographer I've spent many satisfying moments gazing on the dust jacket of the recently published collection of Elizabeth Bishop's letters with its reproduction of one of her watercolors, wildflowers in a bucket arranged with artful artlessness. This grand book sits on my desk along with what I fondly call my Bishop things--mementos from a recent trip to Nova Scotia, and the books with …

…these things, these phenomena are resplendent and worthy of regard, in fact, deeply enamoring. The birdcage, the clogs, the fat brown bird, the rhetoric of politicians, the long tropical rain and the silence afterwards demand our regard. They offer possibilities of song and lyricism that it would be a pity not to see, not to hear. At the same time, we must remember that our gaze will be for the most part uncomprehending. ------------------------------------------------------------------------ **Bibliography**