Geopoetry: Geology, Materiality, Ecopoetics

Geopoetics explores the relationship between language and geology, suggesting that literary works enact geologic processes and that language itself is a geologic process. It examines the work of authors who are not traditionally connected to ecocritical writing, finding that their innovations are central to ecocritical concerns.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 01 December 2023
Publisher: University of New Mexico Press

Geopoetics, a fascinating literary movement that emerged in the aftermath of World War II, posits a profound connection between language and geology. According to Dale Enggass, certain literary works not only depict geologic processes like erosion and deposition but also suggest that language itself is a geologic process, transcending the boundaries of human creation. This notion challenges the traditional notion of language as solely human-derived and opens up a realm of exploration into the inhuman dimensions of language.

Enggass delves into the works of a diverse range of authors, including Clark Coolidge, Robert Smithson, Ed Dorn, Maggie O Sullivan, Jeremy Prynne, Jen Bervin, Christian Bök, and Steve McCaffery. While these authors may not be traditionally associated with ecocritical writing, their innovative approaches to language redefine the boundaries between human and nonhuman realms. By treating language as a geological material, they interrogate the complex relationship between humanity and the natural world, offering a model for a profound literary engagement with the Anthropocene, the current geological epoch marked by human impact on the planet.

Through his analysis, Enggass demonstrates how these authors utilize language to evoke the geological forces that shape our world. They create vivid imagery and metaphorical landscapes that reflect the processes of erosion, sedimentation, and transformation. By doing so, they invite readers to contemplate the interconnectedness of all things and the profound impact of human actions on the environment.

Geopoetics also raises important questions about the representation of nonhuman realms in literary works. How can authors convey the essence of nonhuman entities, such as animals, plants, or natural phenomena, without anthropomorphizing or reducing them to human-like characteristics? Enggass explores this challenge by examining how these authors approach the representation of nonhuman realms, employing techniques such as sensory description, ecological imagery, and nonhuman point of view.

In conclusion, geopoetics offers a unique perspective on language and its relationship to the natural world. By exploring the geologic processes that underlie language and the inhuman dimensions that it opens up, geopoetics encourages readers to reevaluate their understanding of the world and their place within it. Through its innovative approaches to literature and ecology, geopoetics offers a model for a complex literary engagement with the Anthropocene and a call to action for a more sustainable and responsible relationship with the planet.

Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780826365583