Alexander Menrisky, "Wild Abandon: American Literature and the Identity Politics of Ecology" (Cambridge UP, 2020)
New Books Network
English - August 16, 2021 08:00 - 1 hour - ★★★★ - 123 ratingsNews Arts politics culture news comedy health entrepreneur business entrepreneurship leadership interview Homepage Download Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Despite the proliferation of scientific ecology in the second half of the 20th C emphasizing the interconnection between environment and humanity, Wild Abandon: American Literature and the Identity Politics of Ecology (Cambridge UP, 2020) considers the intersection of ecology with the radical politics of the 1960s and 1970s. This intellectual/literary history considers altered forms of the American wilderness narrative influenced by the ideas and vocabulary taken from psychoanalysis and various identity-based social movements that emerged in this chaotic moment. By deep reading the works of Edward Abbey, Simon Ortiz, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, and Jon Krakuer, among others, Dr. Menrisky demonstrates how these authors either dramatized or undermined concepts of ecological authenticity within the identity politics of ecology, or IPE. In this framework, IPE represents a story of oscillation: a back-and-forth between writers attempting to shore up a narrative of ecological authenticity and those willing to question it. IPE’s legacy remains within contemporary environmental conversations highlighted by concepts such as #liveauthentic.
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Despite the proliferation of scientific ecology in the second half of the 20th C emphasizing the interconnection between environment and humanity, Wild Abandon: American Literature and the Identity Politics of Ecology (Cambridge UP, 2020) considers the intersection of ecology with the radical politics of the 1960s and 1970s. This intellectual/literary history considers altered forms of the American wilderness narrative influenced by the ideas and vocabulary taken from psychoanalysis and various identity-based social movements that emerged in this chaotic moment. By deep reading the works of Edward Abbey, Simon Ortiz, Toni Morrison, Margaret Atwood, and Jon Krakuer, among others, Dr. Menrisky demonstrates how these authors either dramatized or undermined concepts of ecological authenticity within the identity politics of ecology, or IPE. In this framework, IPE represents a story of oscillation: a back-and-forth between writers attempting to shore up a narrative of ecological authenticity and those willing to question it. IPE’s legacy remains within contemporary environmental conversations highlighted by concepts such as #liveauthentic.
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Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network