Ecological Thought in German Literature and Culture - (Ecocritical Theory and Practice) by Gabriele Duerbeck & Urte Stobbe & Hubert Zapf (Paperback)

About the Book

This volume surveys the contribution of German literature and culture to the evolution of ecological thought from the age of Goethe to the present. In a broad spectrum of essays from different periods, disciplines, and genres, it conveys both the uniqueness and the transnation...

Book Synopsis

This volume surveys the contribution of German literature and culture to the evolution of ecological thought from the age of Goethe to the present. In a broad spectrum of essays from different periods, disciplines, and genres, it conveys both the uniqueness and the transnational significance of German ecological thought.

Review Quotes

The volume Ecological Thought in German Literature, edited by some of the leading German researchers in ecologically-oriented literary studies, highlights the "potentially infinite connectivity and potentially infinite diversity" of the "ecological thought" (Dürbeck/Stobbe/Zapf/Zeminek xiv). This volume shows that German ecological thought looks back on a long and highly-differentiated tradition of theory and methodology and can, therefore, be more fruitfully summarized under the label of ecological thinking rather than under that of ecocriticism.

At a time when the tension between the local and the global requires that we reconsider our multiple roots and porous place-identities, Ecological Thought in German Literature and Culture is a canonic work that enriches not just 'nationally-oriented' academic studies, but also the entire debate on environmental culture. Skillfully encompassing theoretical approaches, philosophy, history, literature, and the arts, this elegant and challenging volume is the most complete and state-of-the-art guide to examine German culture through the lens of the environmental humanities.

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.

About the Author

Gabriele Dürbeck is professor of literature and cultural studies at University of Vechta.
Urte Stobbe is postdoctoral fellow and lecturer in the field of German literature and linguistic at University of Vechta.
Hubert Zapf is professor of American literature and co-director of environmental humanities research at the University of Augsburg.
Evi Zemanek is associate professor of German literature and interart studies at the University of Freiburg.