Death Facing Ecology in Contemporary British and North American - Environmental Crisis Fictio

Recent years have seen a burgeoning of novels that respond to the environmental issues we currently face. Among these, Louise Squire defines environmental crisis fiction as concerned with a range of environmental issues and with the human subject as a catalyst for these issues. She argues that this fiction is characterised by a thematic use of "death," through which it explores a "crisis" of both environment and self. Squire refers to this emergent thematic device as "death-facing ecology". This device enables this fiction to engage with a range of theoretical ideas and with popular notions of death and the human condition as cultural phenomena of the modern West. In doing so, this fiction invites its readers to consider how humanity might begin to respond to the crisis.

List of contents

Introduction: Thoughts Towards an Ecology of Death-Facing

1. A Crisis of Environment, A crisis in Thought
2. Death Denial, Death facing
3. Impasse, Paradox
4. Discursive Death, Material Death

Conclusion: Imageries of the Future

About the author

Louise Squire researches in contemporary literature and ecocriticism. She works at University of Portsmouth and is Assistant Editor for Ecozon@. Publications include (co-editor) Literature and Sustainability: Concept, Text and Culture, a chapter in Extending Ecocritcism, ed. by Peter Barry and William Welstead, and an article in The Oxford Literary Review.

Summary

Louise Squire defines environmental crisis fiction as concerned with a range of environmental issues and with the human subject as a catalyst for these issues. She argues that this fiction is characterised by a thematic use of "death," through which it explores a "crisis" of both environment and self.

Product details

• Authors: Louise Squire, Squire Louise
• Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd.
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.12.2021
• EAN: 9781032239293
• ISBN: 978-1-0-3223929-3
• No. of pages: 176
• Series: Routledge Studies in Contemporary Literature
• Subjects: Humanities, art, music > Linguistics and literary studies > General and comparative literary studies; Nature / Environmental Conservation & Protection, English, LITERARY CRITICISM / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / American / General, LITERARY CRITICISM / Subjects & Themes / Nature, LITERARY CRITICISM / Modern / General, The environment, Literary studies: from c 1900 -, Literary studies: fiction, novelists & prose writers, Literary studies: fiction, novelists and prose writers, Literary studies: c 1900 to c 2000