Literature, ecology, ethics

The volume takes stock of the various extensions the growing field of ecocriticism has seen over the last decade or so. Contributions from 15 specialists examine the increasing theoretical and methodological self-reflection of the field, its expanding range of literary analysis across canonical, thematic, and national boundaries, as well as the interdisciplinary perspectives that have developed around it. The volume stresses two aspects in particular: the ethical questions raised by ecocritical inquiry and the importance and variability of close reading as a core technique of ecocritical analysis. It includes a selection of representative case studies from American, French, Italian, and Spanish literature.