Ecological Thought in German Literature and Culture
Contributions by Aaron S. Allen, Martin Bemmann, Hannes Bergthaller, Benjamin Bühler, Nils Büttner, Axel Goodbody, Jakob Christoph Heller, Richard Hölzl, Matthias Hurst, Werner Konold, Anke Kramer, Angelika Krebs, Wolfgang Lueckel, Timo Müller, Kate Rigby, Caroline Schaumann, Jens Soentgen, Heather I. Sullivan, Silvio Vietta, François Walter, Berbeli Wanning, Udo Weilacher Edited by Gabriele Duerbeck, Urte Stobbe, Hubert Zapf, Evi Zemanek
Not available to order
Publication date:
16 October 2017Length of book:
484 pagesPublisher
Lexington BooksISBN-13: 9781498514934
The volume offers a survey of the contribution of German literature and culture to the evolution of ecological thought. As the field of ecocritical theory and practice is rapidly expanding towards transnational and global dimensions, it seems nevertheless necessary to consider the distinct manifestations of ecological thought in various cultures. In this sense, the volume demonstrates in twenty-six essays from different disciplines how German literature, philosophy, art, and science have contributed in unique ways to the emergence of ecological thought on national and transnational scale. The volume maps the most important and characteristic of these developments both on a theoretical and on a textual-analytical level. It is structured in five parts ranging from proto-ecological thought since early modern times (part I) to major theoretical approaches (part II), environmental history (part III), and ecocritical case studies (part IV), to ecological visions in different media and art forms (part V).
The four editors have widely published and are actively involved in ecocritical literary and cultural studies. The group of editors consists of two scholars of German literature and cultural studies, Gabriele Duerbeck and Urte Stobbe (both University of Vechta), a scholar in German and comparative literature, Evi Zemanek (University of Freiburg), as well as a scholar of Anglo-American ecoliterature and ecocriticism, Hubert Zapf. All of them are involved in various projects and research networks on ecology and literature. The contributors of the individual chapters likewise are all experts in their respective fields, ranging from German literature, history, environmental studies, art history, music and art. The book is a unique and readily accessible collection of essays that is of relevance not only for a German and continental European but for a worldwide audience.
The four editors have widely published and are actively involved in ecocritical literary and cultural studies. The group of editors consists of two scholars of German literature and cultural studies, Gabriele Duerbeck and Urte Stobbe (both University of Vechta), a scholar in German and comparative literature, Evi Zemanek (University of Freiburg), as well as a scholar of Anglo-American ecoliterature and ecocriticism, Hubert Zapf. All of them are involved in various projects and research networks on ecology and literature. The contributors of the individual chapters likewise are all experts in their respective fields, ranging from German literature, history, environmental studies, art history, music and art. The book is a unique and readily accessible collection of essays that is of relevance not only for a German and continental European but for a worldwide audience.
This broad and comprehensive survey of German ecological thought is an especially welcome addition to the growing body of scholarship on the environment in the German tradition. Many prominent critics discuss the most crucial aspects from proto-ecological models to environmental theory, history, literature, and art--a must read for everyone interested in ecology and German culture.