Duration: 16:09

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Visual Description: A woman dressed in a prairie-revival style outfit sits and faces the camera. She has long, curled brown hair adorned with a flower crown. She wears a monochromatic dress in a dusty burgundy sort of color; pintucking at the neckline and a diamond pattern in the dress’s fabric provide visual interest. Her outfit’s meant to convey a romanticized ideal, rather than the harsh realities of prairie life. She holds a tatty book with a brown cover in her glove-covered hands. Two abundantly-filled bookshelves are in the background; the presence of modern titles, as well as the woman’s large eyeglasses, are subtle signs that this video was filmed in the 21st century.

Description: There’s an allure to unclaimed land, to big tall forests where anything can happen; to untamed mountains and a lonely prairie breeze. America’s landscapes are larger than life, so is it any wonder that storytellers would look upon them and see something magical? Paul Bunyan is a gorgeous picture in frozen fields and forests; he’s a mystical figure, and heavily romanticized. Stories about him are too incredulous to be true, yet they belong in an unexplored world where anything could happen. He captures the magic of 19th century America, a vision of a better life and opportunity for immigrants seeking a new beginning, and pioneers looking to try their luck at a new profession. “Paul Bunyan” captures the American Dream, the idea of a Land of Opportunity where anything that we can imagine is possible. Return with me from a forgotten time full of rampant trees and make-believe to the present, as I talk about my thoughts on James Stevens’ “Paul Bunyan,” which was published all the way back in 1925. I hope that you enjoyed this classic work of Americana. I also hope that it helps you to learn more about why people of the past thought the way that they did, as well as more about the influences that have shaped American culture.