Natural History, Ecocriticism, and Green Romanticism
Primary Sources | Secondary Sources
Hutcheon, Linda. "Eruptions of Postmodernity: The Postcolonial and the Ecological." Essays on Canadian Writing 51.2 (1993 - 1994): 146 - 63. Hutcheon examines connections between postcolonial and ecological concerns in postmodern theory and literary representation, focusing on the construction of Canadian identity and the critical writings of Northrop Frye. Lafreniere, Gilbert F. "Rousseau and the European Roots of Environmental History." Environmental History 14 (1990): 41 - 73. Mackenzie, John M. The Empire of Nature: Hunting, Conservation, and British Imperialism. Manchester: Manchester UP, 1988. Mackenzie's book examines the politics of hunting of hunting in the British Empire, analyzing the anthropological, economic, sociological, and cultural dimensions of human-animal relationships. The book considers both British and colonial legislation, as well as the development of zoology and conservation in the colonial context. Merchant, Carolyn. The Death of Nature: Women Ecology, and the Scientific Revolution. San Francisco: Harper and Row, 1980. Chapter seven of this book offers an insightful feminist analysis of the implications of the implications of Bacon's scientific method and philosophy. Nash, Roderick. The Rights of Nature: A History of Environmental Ethics. Madison WI: U of Wisconsin P, 1989. Nash's text provides a history of the environmental ethics and legislation from the eighteenth century to the mid-1980s, with a focus on Anglo-American contexts. Nash spends a great deal of time analyzing the differences between conservationist environmentalism and "deep ecology." Oerlemans, Onno. Romanticism and the Materiality of Nature. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2003. Oerlemans' book examines the connections between Romantic culture and environmental ethics. The book begins with a chapter outlining Romanticism's contributions to the modern environmentalist movement. Other chapters offer discussions of specific Romantic writers and their approaches to environmental-ethical representation and practice. Thomas, Keith. Man and the Natural World: Changing Attitudes in England, 1500 - 1800. New York: Oxford UP, 1996. Combining post-structuralist and Marxist methodologies, Thomas focuses on the historical development of "man's" ascendency over the animal and vegetable worlds. His analysis includes discussions of religion, science, agriculture, "animal companionship," and wilderness, ending with a consideration of the modern-day ecological movement. Williams, Michael. Americans and Their Forests: A Historical Geography. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1992. This four-part book examines the history of forest use in the United States. The first section considers forest use and symbolism before the seventeenth century, with specific reference to American economy and culture, indigenous practices, and the concept of the "Native Forest." The second section discusses forest use between 1600 and 1859, examining ecological issues such as forest changes, the impact of pioneer settlement, industrialization, and farming. Worster, Donald. Nature's Economy: A History of Ecological Ideas. 2nd ed. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 1995. Worster studies the history of ecology, tracing its origins to two strains of thought exemplified by the Arcadian vision of Gilbert White and the imperialist naturalism of Linnaeus.