In this thoughtful book, Gary Fine explores how Americans attempt
to give meaning to the natural world that surrounds them. Although
"nature" has often been treated as an unproblematic reality, Fine
suggests that the meanings we assign to the natural environment are
culturally grounded. In other words, there is no nature separate
from culture. He calls this process of cultural construction and
interpretation, "naturework." Of course, there is no denying the
biological reality of trees, mountains, earthquakes, and
hurricanes, but, he argues, they must be interpreted to be made
meaningful. Fine supports this claim by examining the fascinating
world of mushrooming. Based on three years of field research with
mushroomers at local and national forays, Morel Tales highlights
the extensive range of meanings that mushrooms have for
mushroomers. Fine details how mushroomers talk about their
finds--turning their experiences into "fish stories" (the one that
got away), war stories, and treasure tales; how mushroomers
routinely joke about dying from or killing others with
misidentified mushrooms, and how this dark humor contributes to the
sense of community among collectors. He also describes the
sometimes friendly, sometimes tense relations between amateur
mushroom collectors and professional mycologists. Fine extends his
argument to show that the elaboration of cultural meanings found
among mushroom collectors is equally applicable to birders,
butterfly collectors, rock hounds, and other naturalists.
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