Once More to the Lake

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

"Once More to the Lake" is an essay first published in Harper's magazine in 1941 by author E. B. White. It chronicles his pilgrimage back to a lakefront resort he visited as a child.

In "Once More to the Lake," White revisits his ideal youthful vacation spot. He finds great joy in his visit, but he also struggles in remembering he is an adult.

The story shows him having an internal struggle between acting and viewing the lake like he did as a kid and viewing it as an adult or his father would have. Even though White sees the lake as being almost identical to the lake of his youth, technology mars his experience and the new and noisy boats disturb the serene nature of the lake.

The story also brings up technology in a negative way, seeing it as impure and damaging. This story shows the transcendence of time, even to remote areas and how even the most pristine areas lose their primitive disposition.

[edit] References

Angell, Roger. The Making of E. B. White." [1]

Baker, Russell. Growing Up. New York: Congdon and Weed, 1982.

Elledge, Scott. E. B. White: A Biography. New York: W. W. Norton, 1985.

Hall, Donald. My Son My Executioner. Old Poems and New. New York: Tricknor and Fields, 1990.

Phillips, Charles. On “Once More to the Lake” By E. B. White. [2]

White, E. B. Once More to the Lake. Essays of E.B White. New York: Harper & Row, 1977. 197-202.