Dansite Reading Journal

Cover of "Trout Fishing in America" by Richard Brautigan. Brautigan in a hat and Michaela Le Grand seated, both in vintage clothing, pose near a statue, conveying a bohemian vibe.
Trout Fishing in America

Publication Details

Type: Book
Publisher: Four Seasons Foundation
Published: 1967

Reading Details

Pages: 112

Reading History

1st read May 6, 2026 Lawrence, Kansas (US)

Highlights

First Paragraph:

The cover for Trout Fishing in America is a photograph taken late in the afternoon, a photograph of the Benjamin Franklin statue in San Francisco's Washington Square. Born 1706--Died 1790, Benjamin Franklin stands on a pedestal that looks like a house containing stone furniture. He holds some papers in one hand and his hat in the other. Then the statue speaks, saying in marble:

PRESENTED BY H. D. COGSWELL TO OUR BOYS AND GIRLS WHO WILL SOON TAKE OUR PLACES AND PASS ON.

Notes/Quotes

Is this line describing the entire modern American ethos?

"...“The old woman had an old dog, but he hardly counted any more. He was so old that he looked like a stuffed dog. Once I took him for a walk down to the store. It was just like taking a stuffed dog for a walk. I tied him up to a stuffed fire hydrant and he pissed on it, but it was only stuffed piss.”