Greening the Maple - (Energy, Ecology and the Environment) by Ella Soper & Nicholas Bradley (Paperback)

About the Book

Ecocriticism can be described in very general terms as the investigation of the many ways in which culture and the environment are interrelated and conceptualized. Ecocriticism aspires to understand and often to celebrate the natural world, yet it does so indirectly by focusing primarily on written texts. Hailed as one of the most timely and provocative developments in literary and cultural studies of recent decades, it has also been greeted with bewilderment or scepticism by those for whom its aims and methods are unclear. This book seeks to bring into view the development of ecocriticism in the context of Canadian literary studies. Selections include work by Margaret Atwood, Northrop Frye, Sherrill Grace, and Rosemary Sullivan.

Book Synopsis

Ecocriticism can be described in very general terms as the investigation of the many ways in which culture and the environment are interrelated and conceptualized. Ecocriticism aspires to understand and often to celebrate the natural world, yet it does so indirectly by focusing primarily on written texts. Hailed as one of the most timely and provocative developments in literary and cultural studies of recent decades, it has also been greeted with bewilderment or scepticism by those for whom its aims and methods are unclear. This book seeks to bring into view the development of ecocriticism in the context of Canadian literary studies. Selections include work by Margaret Atwood, Northrop Frye, Sherrill Grace, and Rosemary Sullivan.

Review Quotes

A fascinating overview of Canadian critical engagement with nature.

--Marinette Grimbeek, European Journal of Literature, Culture, and Environment

Greening the Maple is a must read for those interested in literature and the environment. The collection demonstrates the uniqueness and worth of Canadian ecocriticism and its various origins and trajectories.

--Alec Follett, Alternatives Journal

If a good anthology is one that both lays the foundation and opens the door, Greening the Maple fits the bill. This landmark volume demonstrates that ecocriticism in Canada is well established and is also ripe for questioning and extending.

--Paul Huebener, University of Toronto Quarterly

About the Author

Ella Soper is a lecturer in the Department of English and Drama at the University of Toronto Mississauga, in the Department of English at University of Toronto Scarborough, and in the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University.

Nicholas Bradley is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English at the University of Victoria.