Description
Book SynopsisHeather Houser traces the development of ecosickness, which links ecological and bodily injury, through a compelling archive of contemporary U.S. novels and memoirs,
Ecosickness in Contemporary U.S. Fiction shows how narrative affects such as wonder and disgust organize perception of an endangered world and orient us ethically toward it.
Trade ReviewThis sophisticated reconnaissance of an impressive range of turn-of-the-twenty-first-century works both adroitly builds upon and convincingly takes issue with the new 'materialist' ecocriticism by offering a subtly compelling assessment of the place of affect in works of environmental imagination and environmental intervention generally. Not contemporary U.S. fiction specialists alone, but ecocritics in all bailiwicks are sure to profit from Heather Houser's insights. -- Lawrence Buell, Harvard University The 'ecosickness' that Heather Houser explores offers yet another example of the dangers of humanity's efforts to 'master' nature. The novels and memoirs she studies demonstrate the intricate connections between somatic and ecological damage. Yet it is the literary critical argument that most distinguishes this work. Houser elegantly shows how these novels and memoirs produce narratives with unpredictable affects and how that unpredictability in turn generates an ethics that, she argues, might lead to new ways of addressing ecological damage. This timely book is crucial not only for its ecocritical insights, but for its depiction of the importance of humanistic inquiry to planetary ethics. -- Priscilla Wald, Duke University, author of Contagious: Cultures, Carriers, and the Outbreak Narrative In its analytical poise and sharp close readings, Ecosickness in Contemporary US Fiction itself is a valuable addition to affect studies and ecocriticism. 49th Parallel This well-researched argument draws on psychology, sociology, cognitive science, and other disciplines to illuminate the contributions artists make in conversations--typically dominated by scientists, environmentalists, and politicians--about environmental policy, and aims to encourage and enrich those conversations. CHOICE Houser engages with affect theory to push the boundaries of material ecocriticism in an innovative and necessary direction... she insightfully complicates the role of "writer-activist" and asks her audience to consider critically what shape this activism might take and what its future might entail. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and the Environment
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. Ecosickness 2. AIDS Out of the City: Discordant Natures 3. Richard Powers's Strange Wonder 4. Infinite Jest's Environmental Case for Disgust 5. The Anxiety of Intervention in Leslie Marmon Silko and Marge Piercy Conclusion: How Does It Feel? Notes Works Cited Index
