Pay attention to word choice--how is the author shaping your judgement by the words he/she chooses

I finished Peace Like a River by Leif Enger and am now reading An Unspoken Hunger: Stories from the Field by Terry Tempest Williams.

In her book, Terry Tempest Williams writes about her experiences and intimacy with the natural world. Her book is a celebration of everything in nature, and she chooses her words very carefully to convey her purpose to her readers.

"It is time for us to take off our masks, to step out from behind our personas--whatever they might be: educators, activists, biologists, geologists, writers, farmers, ranchers and bureaucrats--and admit we are lovers, engaged in an erotics of place. Loving the land. Honoring its mysteries. Acknowledging, embracing the spirit of place--there is nothing more legitimate and there is nothing more true."

Williams paid very careful attention to her word choice in this particular passage. The phrase "erotics of place" stands out to the reader because the words are ones that we hear often, but not in that context. They make the reader ponder what Williams wants him or her to grasp out of that phrase. I'm still not positive what she means by that, but I think she just wants the reader to understand the intimacy and sensuality of her relationship with nature. In this passage, I also noticed her usage of the word "legitimate." The definition of legitimate in this context is "not spurious or unjustified; genuine." Through her choice of "legitimate" instead of another word, Williams tells us that there is nothing more justified or authentic than loving the land. This conveys an image of justification and truth for the reader.