Ecologies: Into the Woods, Down the River, Up in the Air. Reading the Environment, Texts and Contexts

What does it mean to flourish? What is mutual flourishing and sustainability for self, families, communities, societies, species, the Earth ?

Ecocriticism is an intentionally interdisciplinary approach that is also known as “green studies” and “environmental literary criticism.” Environmental concerns have always been an essential aspect of  literary narratives, manifested in setting, themes of shelter, food, and weather, and metaphors of flood, fog, decay, and pollution. An ecocritical lens examines texts in context, critiquing the ways and multiple modes that literary narratives  represent, interact with, and construct the environment to explore the role of nature and the natural world. This dialogic approach to texts in conversation deepens our sensibilities about environmental wisdom, sustainability, stewardship, and ethical responsibility.