Climate and the Making of Worlds: Toward a Geohistorical Poetics

Tobias Menely's book "Climate and the Making of Worlds" explores how English poetry from the 17th to the 19th century reflects the impact of the planet on human world-making, offering a unique record of geohistory and Britain's transition from an agrarian society to a modern coal-powered nation.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 25 June 2021
Publisher: The University of Chicago Press

Winner of the Society for Literature, Science, and the Arts Michelle Kendrick Memorial Book Prize and the Center for Robert Penn Warren Studies Warren-Brooks Award, Tobias Menely's book explores a materialist ecocriticism that traces the imprint of the planetary across a long literary history of poetic rewritings and critical readings. This literary exploration engages continuously with the climate as a condition of human world-making. At its core, Menely's study relies on English poetry written between John Milton's Paradise Lost (1667) and Charlotte Smith's "Beachy Head" (1807). This period, spanning a remarkable century and a half, witnessed Britain emerging from the challenges of the Little Ice Age, establishing the largest empire in world history, and initiating the Industrial Revolution. By incorporating new sciences into ancient literary genres, these ambitious poems sought to encompass what the eighteenth-century author James Thomson referred to as the "system . . . entire." Consequently, they provide a unique record of geohistory, documenting Britain's transformative journey from an agrarian society, frequently disrupted by climate shocks, to a modern coal-powered nation.

Climate and the Making of Worlds is a groundbreaking and nuanced contribution to ecocriticism, the energy humanities, and the prehistory of the Anthropocene. Through its meticulous analysis, Menely sheds light on the intricate connections between climate, literature, and the shaping of worlds. This book offers valuable insights into the ways in which poetic rewritings and critical readings have responded to the changing climatic conditions throughout history, and how these responses have contributed to the formation of our understanding of the planet and its place in the universe.

In conclusion, Tobias Menely's Climate and the Making of Worlds is a must-read for anyone interested in exploring the intersection of literature, science, and the environment. By delving into the rich literary heritage of the past and examining how it responds to climate change, Menely provides a fresh perspective on the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world. This book is a testament to the power of literature to inspire and challenge our understanding of the world, and to inspire us to take action in addressing the urgent environmental challenges of our time.

Weight: 410g
Dimension: 151 x 228 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780226776286