Future of Environmental Criticism: Environmental Crisis and Literary Imagination

by Lawrence Buell

Written by one of the world’s leading theorists in ecocriticism, this manifesto provides a critical summary of the ecocritical movement.

Genres: Nonfiction, Literary Criticism, Ecology, Nature, Environment, Grad School, Philosophy

206 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Adrik · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want an overview of ecocriticism and the main ideas behind the field, this is a good place to start. Even though ecocriticism as a field has continued to grow since this book was published in 2005, the main concerns surrounding nature, the anthropocene and climate change remain key debates within the field. Highly recommended if you are thinking of diving into ecocriticism.

[sdw · Rating 3 out of 5]

This dense book is the third of a trilogy. Like the earlier books (The Environmental Imagination , and Writing for an Endangered World), Buell attempts to map out the evolving field of literary eco-criticism. The book is very dense, showcasing Buell’s encyclopedic knowledge of the eco-criticism field, of any field environmentally related, and of literature over all.

The major themes Buell maps out includes the early debates over referentiality (which even he acknowledges are largely irrelevant today even if unresolved), the relationship between space and place, and the political commitment of the movement. These are sandwiched between his description of the field’s emergence and his compelling conclusion on the future of the field which appropriately refuses to prophecy (claiming eco-criticism has surprises ahead) and instead surveys issues surrounding professionalization personally relevant to me.

(For example, he points out that more jobs are available each year in queer studies than environmental humanities, and that an environmental studies program is far more likely to have an environmental historian than an environmental literary critic. He does mention that we have reached a point when an interest in environmental literary criticism is more likely to be a plus than a minus for a graduate student hitting the market.)

He keys in on the one of the key triumphs of eco-criticism (in my opinion) in describing the field’s inclusion and dialogue with activists and artists as well as academics.

Buell has a true handle on the international scope of the field and brings in critical and literary examples from non-U.S. (indeed non-European) locales. He also has an enviable grasp on the interdisciplinarity of the field – drawing from philosophy, religion, psychology, as adeptly as he draws from literature.

When I first encountered Buell’s work (Reading The Environmental Imagination in high school first led me down the path to American Studies and I headed off to college already determined to make the environment a key critical lens), what I most appreciated about it was the range and scope. He hints as fascinating comparative readings of text one is unlikely to piece together such as a comparison of texts by William Carlos Williams, Noonuccal Oodgeroo and Karen Tei Yamamshita. His footnotes are ripe with dissertation topics. What I wanted this time was a good solid close reading that really delved into these texts. I’ve come to really like and appreciate the substantive close reading and it was missing from the work – in part because this book was more about generating categories through which one could interpret the field.

Buell makes a compelling case for “environmental literary criticism” rather than eco-criticism, and offers an excellent glossary. Every eco-critic should have all three of Buell’s books on their shelves (along with The Environmental Justice Reader and Glotfly’s foundational The EcoCriticism Reader ).

[Todd Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The best introduction to the field of ecocriticism that I've come across. More readable than Garrad's.

[Tereza Střížová · Rating 1 out of 5]

I would rather had my eyes gouged out than read this again.

[Chris Hebert · Rating 4 out of 5]

First book of "environmental criticism" I've read, and a great introduction to the field as a whole. It's kind of a different style of scholarship that blends some mini-close readings with a larger discussion of historical/ideological trends within the field. A little boring, but contains some valuable ideas nonetheless.

[Harlan Whatley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buell is a former Harvard professor and is very thorough in his research on environmental criticism, which he prefers over ecocriticism.

[Izzy · Rating 4 out of 5]

really good primer

[Preston Scott Blakeley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Practical and helpful review of the field.

[Cameron · Rating 4 out of 5]

In graceful, far-ranging prose, Lawrence Buell here completes his trilogy of “environmental criticism,” building on and revising concepts from The Environmental Imagination (1995) and Writing for an Endangered World (2001). This text is slightly different than its progenitors in that it serves more as a roadmap and retrospective (despite the title) than a praxis statement. While I agree with Buell’s reasons for choosing “environmental criticism” as a disciplinary label instead of “ecocriticism,” I personally do not find the latter term to be “a catchy but totalizing rubric,” especially considering the staggering, productively dissonant diversity of projects that have been carried out in the name of “ecocriticism” over the last twenty years. What I particularly respond to in Buell’s criticism is his ability to draw in a staggering variety of secondary and primary sources, distill their contribution to the field, and synthesize them to analyze trends through his “wave” model. I am especially struck by how Buell articulates possible convergences between literary theory and ecocritical practice, and does so in an accessible and intelligent way by directly addressing his reader’s needs. (See, for example, his references to Ponge, Lopez, Ricoeur, and Skigaj’s neo-Derridean theories on page 39.)

[Rhonda Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent text on environmental criticism (Buell doesn't like the word "ecocriticism," which I happen to greatly prefer), especially for anyone beginning to study the field. It's not a prediction, despite the title, and in fact the author states that he has no authority to predict the "Future of Environmental Criticism." Still, the text is an informative study that prompts introspection and further examination of the topic. It includes an excellent glossary in the back, perfect for navigating this and future studies on the subject.

Recommended for anyone interested in ecological study.

[Susan Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brilliant. Lawrence Buell, as one of the most influential theorists on ecocriticism, has in this book broadened the horizon of ecocriticism. It is a must read for anybody interested in the topic. At the back of the book one can find a very useful glossary with well formulated definitions, which in my opinion adds a lot to the reading experience.