Environmental Humanities on the Brink: The Vanitas Hypothesis

Vincent Bruyere's experimental work of ecocriticism confronts the seeming pointlessness of the humanities amid negative future projections of environmental collapse. He takes inspiration from the vanitas tradition to contemplate the stakes of the humanities in the Anthropocene present, experimenting with allegory, fairytale, still life, and travelogues to explore questions of quiet erasure and environmental memory. The book argues that we ought to keep reading, even by the flickering light of extinction.

Format: Hardback
Length: 176 pages
Publication date: 19 September 2023
Publisher: Stanford University Press

In this groundbreaking exploration of ecocriticism, Vincent Bruyere delves into the seemingly futile realm of the humanities in the face of overwhelmingly bleak future predictions of environmental collapse. The vanitas paintings of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, renowned for their dazzling portrayal of abundance alongside skulls, shells, and hourglasses, offer a striking testament to this sense of futility. These images, at times even appearing to peel away, openly declare their pointlessness in relation to the future. Drawing inspiration from the vanitas tradition, this book embarks on a daring exploration of the stakes of the humanities in the Anthropocene era, a time when the accumulated human record threatens to outlast the climate conditions necessary for our survival. Through a series of unsettling encounters with early modern texts and images whose claims of relevance have long since faded, Bruyere experiments with the interpretive possibilities of allegory, fairytale, still life, and travelogues. Each chapter places a vanitas motif—such as a canvas, debris, toxins, paper, ark, meat, and light—in conversation with stories and images of the Anthropocene, ranging from the Pleistocene Park geoengineering project to toxic legacies to in-vitro meat.

In addressing questions of quiet erasure and environmental memory, this book makes a compelling argument for the continued pursuit of reading, even in the dimming light of extinction. By delving into the vanitas tradition and exploring its resonant themes in the context of the Anthropocene, Bruyere offers a thought-provoking exploration of the human condition and our place in the world. This book is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of literature, environmentalism, and the urgent need for meaningful engagement with the challenges of our time.

Dimension: 216 x 140 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781503630505