Environmental Justice in Early Victorian Literature

In early Victorian literature (1837–1860), environmental justice scholarship and material ecocriticism combine to explore how the growing problem of environmental injustice affected the working classes. Figures such as Thomas Carlyle, Friedrich Engels, Charles Dickens, and John Ruskin criticized this form of inequality, while working-class writers reacted to the hazardous realities of a divided society. This book emphasizes the need for a more inclusive, emergent form of justice that addresses the social and ecological impacts of industrial modernity, which is still relevant today.

Format: Hardback
Length: 206 pages
Publication date: 30 August 2023
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking new work seamlessly blends environmental justice scholarship with material ecocriticism to investigate how early Victorian literature (1837–1860) responded to the escalating issue of environmental injustice. As this book highlights, environmental injustice, which can be defined as the intersection of poverty and pollution, was not a standalone phenomenon but rather a structural manifestation of inequality; a product of the radical transformation of British society brought about by industrial modernity, it particularly impacted the working classes. As each chapter in this book meticulously reveals, this form of environmental inequality (or 'classism') elicited sharp critiques from figures as diverse as Thomas Carlyle, Friedrich Engels, Charles Dickens, and John Ruskin, as well as from within the Chartist movement, as working-class writers themselves responded to the hazardous realities of a divided society. However, as this book also demonstrates, these writers recognized that a truly just society values the needs of nonhuman beings and takes into account the material world's inherent vitality; even if only tentatively, they sought a more inclusive and emergent form of justice that could address the social and ecological consequences of industrial modernity, an idea that remains as relevant today as it was during the early Victorian period.

This book serves as an essential resource for scholars and students engaged in the study of Victorian literature, environmental justice, and ecocriticism. By seamlessly integrating these disciplines, it offers a comprehensive analysis of the ways in which early Victorian literature responded to the pressing concerns of its time, shedding light on the complex interplay between social, economic, and ecological factors that shaped the period. Through its detailed examination of the literature and its engagement with relevant social and political movements, this book provides valuable insights into the ongoing struggle for environmental justice and the importance of recognizing the interconnectedness of human and natural systems.

In conclusion, this innovative and thought-provoking book is a must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of literature, environmentalism, and social justice. It offers a fresh perspective on the early Victorian period and its relationship to the growing problem of environmental injustice, and it provides valuable insights into the ongoing struggle for a more sustainable and equitable world.

Weight: 557g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367420789