The Ecology of British and American Empire Writing, 1704-1894

Louis Kirk McAuley invites us to consider the ways in which particular unruly natures, including animals, plants, and minerals, actively intervene in literature to decentre the human, drawing upon invasion biology to highlight the heterarchical nature of empire building. He offers biotic readings of this literature to highlight the human place in nature and provides practical literary examples of the ways oceans facilitate the confusion of time and place.

Format: Hardback
Length: 320 pages
Publication date: 31 January 2024
Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

In the face of a rapidly diminishing biodiversity on our planet, Louis Kirk McAuley invites us to explore the intriguing ways in which certain unruly natures, encompassing animals, plants, and minerals, actively intervene in literature to challenge the human-centric narrative. Drawing upon the field of invasion biology, McAuley offers transformative ecocritical interpretations of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British and American literature, emphasizing the hierarchical nature of empire building. This includes in-depth analyses of texts written by (or about) individuals residing at, or just outside, the boundaries of the British and American Empires, such as St Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Cuba, Hawaii, and Samoa, which were constructed around the global transfer of animals and plants. By offering biotic readings of these literary works, McAuley sheds light on the human's place within nature and provides practical examples of how oceans facilitate the blurring of time and space.

In the face of a rapidly diminishing biodiversity on our planet, Louis Kirk McAuley invites us to explore the intriguing ways in which certain unruly natures, encompassing animals, plants, and minerals, actively intervene in literature to challenge the human-centric narrative. Drawing upon the field of invasion biology, McAuley offers transformative ecocritical interpretations of eighteenth- and nineteenth-century British and American literature, emphasizing the hierarchical nature of empire building. This includes in-depth analyses of texts written by (or about) individuals residing at, or just outside, the boundaries of the British and American Empires, such as St Kitts and Nevis, Haiti, Cuba, Hawaii, and Samoa, which were constructed around the global transfer of animals and plants. By offering biotic readings of these literary works, McAuley sheds light on the human's place within nature and provides practical examples of how oceans facilitate the blurring of time and space.

Weight: 626g
Dimension: 234 x 156 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781399527149