Ecology without Culture

Aesthetics for a Toxic World

Fiction & Literature, Literary Theory & Criticism, Asian
Cover of the book Ecology without Culture by Christine L. Marran, University of Minnesota Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Christine L. Marran ISBN: 9781452955711
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press Publication: December 1, 2017
Imprint: Univ Of Minnesota Press Language: English
Author: Christine L. Marran
ISBN: 9781452955711
Publisher: University of Minnesota Press
Publication: December 1, 2017
Imprint: Univ Of Minnesota Press
Language: English

Cultures have long defined themselves through biological elements to prove their strength and longevity, from cherry blossoms in Japan to amber waves of grain in the United States. In Ecology without Culture, Christine L. Marran introduces the concept of biotropes—material and semiotic figures that exist for human perception—to navigate how and why the material world has proven to be such an effective medium for representing culture. A bold and timely reconsideration of ecocriticism, Ecology without Culture insists on decentering questions of culture to highlight the materiality of poetry, film, and prose fiction.

Marran argues that ecocriticism can critique ecological realities more effectively from outside the frame of human exceptionalism. Through discussions of primarily non-Anglophone literature, poetry, and cinema about toxic events in contemporary history— from the depiction of slow violence in documentary by Tsuchimoto Noriaki to the powerful poetry of Ishimure Michiko—Marran argues that ecocriticism must find a way to engage culture without making the perpetuation of ethnos and anthropos the endgame of ecopolitics. 

Using the biological foundations and geological time scales of textual worlds to more deeply critique cultural humanism, Marran ultimately contends that the chief stumbling block to ecological thinking is not the image of nature, but the image of culture.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Cultures have long defined themselves through biological elements to prove their strength and longevity, from cherry blossoms in Japan to amber waves of grain in the United States. In Ecology without Culture, Christine L. Marran introduces the concept of biotropes—material and semiotic figures that exist for human perception—to navigate how and why the material world has proven to be such an effective medium for representing culture. A bold and timely reconsideration of ecocriticism, Ecology without Culture insists on decentering questions of culture to highlight the materiality of poetry, film, and prose fiction.

Marran argues that ecocriticism can critique ecological realities more effectively from outside the frame of human exceptionalism. Through discussions of primarily non-Anglophone literature, poetry, and cinema about toxic events in contemporary history— from the depiction of slow violence in documentary by Tsuchimoto Noriaki to the powerful poetry of Ishimure Michiko—Marran argues that ecocriticism must find a way to engage culture without making the perpetuation of ethnos and anthropos the endgame of ecopolitics. 

Using the biological foundations and geological time scales of textual worlds to more deeply critique cultural humanism, Marran ultimately contends that the chief stumbling block to ecological thinking is not the image of nature, but the image of culture.

More books from University of Minnesota Press

Cover of the book Styrbiorn the Strong by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Gay Rights at the Ballot Box by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Winning Your Election the Wellstone Way by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Markets by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Producers, Parasites, Patriots by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book The Disenchanted by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book The American Isherwood by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Rifftide by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Toward an Architecture of Enjoyment by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Problems of Dostoevsky's Poetics by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book The Ravens by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Grafts by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Our Gang by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book Best to Laugh by Christine L. Marran
Cover of the book The Stray Bullet by Christine L. Marran
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy