| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Emergence | 1990s (term coined by Cheryll Glotfelty, 1990s) Formalized with ASLE (Association for Study of Literature and Environment) 1992 |
| Core Premise | Study relationship between literature and physical environment Earth-centered approach to literature Environmental crisis requires new critical approach "How do we read nature in texts?" |
| Interdisciplinary | Literature + Ecology + Environmental Studies + Philosophy Science + Humanities bridge |
| Political Dimension | Activist orientation - environmental advocacy NOT just academic - practical ecological concern Raise environmental consciousness |
| MCQ Alert | Ecocriticism (1990s+) - literature-environment relationship; earth-centered |
| Scholar | Work/Contribution |
|---|---|
| Rachel Carson | Silent Spring (1962) - precursor; environmental writing Exposed pesticide dangers; catalyzed environmental movement |
| Joseph Meeker | The Comedy of Survival (1972) - early ecocritical work "Literary ecology" - how literature affects ecological consciousness |
| Cheryll Glotfelty | Editor, The Ecocriticism Reader (1996) - landmark anthology Defined field, established terminology "Ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment" |
| Lawrence Buell | The Environmental Imagination (1995) - Thoreau, nature writing The Future of Environmental Criticism (2005) - second-wave ecocriticism |
| Greg Garrard | Ecocriticism (2004) - comprehensive introduction Key concepts: wilderness, apocalypse, dwelling, animals, earth |
| Foundational | Glotfelty's Ecocriticism Reader (1996) established field |
| Concept | Details |
|---|---|
| Nature as Subject | Nature = NOT just setting/backdrop Nature = active presence, character, agent Move from anthropocentric to ecocentric reading Attend to non-human perspectives |
| Anthropocentrism vs. Ecocentrism | Anthropocentrism: Human-centered worldview • Humans = most important • Nature = resource for human use Ecocentrism: Ecology-centered • Humans = part of ecosystem • Nature has intrinsic value Ecocriticism: Challenges anthropocentrism |
| Wilderness | Contested concept: • Romantic view: pristine, untouched nature • Critical view: "wilderness" = cultural construct • Indigenous peoples inhabited "wilderness" • Idealizing wilderness can justify removal of people |
| Pastoral | Literary mode idealizing rural life Ecocritical question: Does pastoral help or harm? • Positive: Connects readers to nature • Negative: Romanticizes, simplifies ecology Nostalgia vs. genuine ecological consciousness |
| Deep Ecology | Philosophical movement (Arne Naess) All life forms have intrinsic value Radical environmentalism Influenced some ecocritics |
| Wave | Focus | Characteristics |
|---|---|---|
| First Wave (1990s) | Nature Writing & Wilderness Focus: Romantic nature poetry, American nature writing (Thoreau, Muir) Celebrate wilderness, rural landscapes Realist approach to representation | • USA-centered • Romantic tradition • Non-fiction nature writing • Wilderness preservation • Somewhat essentialist about "nature" |
| Second Wave (2000s+) | Urban, Global, Diverse Focus: Urban environments, environmental justice, global perspectives Postcolonial ecocriticism, toxic discourse Constructivist about "nature" | • Global South perspectives • Environmental justice (race, class) • Urban ecology • Toxicity, pollution • Nature as cultural construct • Science fiction, cli-fi |
| Third Wave (2010s+) | Material Ecocriticism, Posthumanism New materialism, object-oriented ontology Agency of non-human entities Anthropocene discourse | • Material turn • Non-human agency • Anthropocene • Climate change • Posthumanism • Speculative fiction |
| Question | Purpose |
|---|---|
| How is nature represented? | Analyze textual constructions of "nature," environment Is nature passive backdrop or active presence? |
| What role does setting play? | Physical environment's impact on plot, character, theme Not just context but constituent element |
| What values underlie representation? | Anthropocentric vs. ecocentric? Exploitative vs. sustainable? Wilderness vs. garden vs. urban? |
| How does text shape consciousness? | Does work promote environmental awareness? Reinforce or challenge destructive attitudes? Practical ecological impact? |
| Whose voices are heard? | Human only, or non-human too? Environmental justice - which communities affected? |
| Concept | Details |
|---|---|
| Environmental Racism | Toxic waste, pollution disproportionately affect communities of color Environmental problems = social justice issues Intersectionality: Race + Class + Environment |
| Eco-Justice | Fair distribution of environmental benefits/burdens Who has access to clean air, water, parks? Literature of environmental struggle |
| Texts | Literature of protest, resistance Toxic discourse - pollution narratives Indigenous environmental writing |
| Key Point | Environmental issues = NOT separate from social justice; deeply interconnected |
| Achievement | Critique | |
|---|---|---|
| New Perspective | Made environment visible in literary study | Sometimes reductive - everything environmental? |
| Practical Urgency | Responds to real ecological crisis; activist | Too activist? Blurs criticism and advocacy |
| Interdisciplinary | Bridges humanities and sciences | Requires scientific knowledge critics lack? |
| Canon Revision | Recovered nature writing, expanded canon | First wave too narrow (wilderness, USA) |
| Global Reach | Second wave: postcolonial, diverse perspectives | Still relatively recent, evolving |
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Origins | 1960s Britain (Birmingham Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies, 1964) Founders: Richard Hoggart, Stuart Hall, Raymond Williams |
| Core Premise | Study ALL cultural forms, not just "high" literature Culture = "whole way of life" (Williams) Popular culture = legitimate object of study Power relations in cultural production/consumption |
| Marxist Roots | Base/superstructure (complex) Ideology, hegemony (Gramsci) Culture = site of struggle |
| Interdisciplinary | Sociology + Literature + Media Studies + Anthropology + Politics Crosses traditional boundaries |
| MCQ Alert | Cultural Studies (1960s+ Britain) - Birmingham Centre; all cultural forms, popular culture, power |
| Figure | Contribution |
|---|---|
| Richard Hoggart | The Uses of Literacy (1957) - working-class culture Founded Birmingham CCCS (1964) Analyzed mass culture's impact on working class |
| Raymond Williams | Culture and Society (1958) - traced "culture" concept The Long Revolution (1961) - cultural materialism Keywords (1976) - examined cultural vocabulary "Culture is ordinary" - culture = everyday life, not elite property |
| Stuart Hall | CCCS Director (1968-79) - most influential Encoding/Decoding model Identity, race, representation Hegemony theory |
| Dick Hebdige | Subculture: The Meaning of Style (1979) - punk, subcultures Style as resistance, symbolic struggle |
| Foundational | Birmingham CCCS (1964) - Hoggart, Hall, Williams; working-class/popular culture focus |
| Concept | Details |
|---|---|
| Model Overview | Media messages: Encoded (produced) → Decoded (received) Production ≠ Reception Audience = active, not passive Multiple readings possible |
| Three Decoding Positions | 1. Dominant/Hegemonic: Accept intended meaning • Reader accepts message as intended 2. Negotiated: Partly accept, partly resist • Accept general framework but adapt to own situation 3. Oppositional: Reject intended meaning • Understand but oppose; read "against the grain" Most people = negotiated position |
| Active Audience | Audiences NOT cultural dupes Interpret based on own social position Meaning = negotiated, not imposed |
| Hall's Model | Encoding/Decoding - three positions: Dominant, Negotiated, Oppositional |
| Concept | Details |
|---|---|
| Identity as Constructed | Identity = NOT fixed essence Constructed through representation Multiple, fluid, contextual "There is no essential black subject" - against essentialism |
| Representation | How cultures construct meaning through images, language Representation = NOT mirror of reality Representation = constitutive - creates reality Power operates through representation |
| Race & Ethnicity | Hall's work on black British identity Diasporic identity - hybrid, multiple Challenged essentialist notions of race |
| Concept | Details |
|---|---|
| "Culture is Ordinary" | Culture = everyday life, not elite monopoly Working-class culture = legitimate, valuable Challenge high/low distinction Democratic approach to culture |
| Cultural Materialism | Marxist approach to culture Culture = material practice, not reflection Base/superstructure too simplistic Culture actively shapes social relations |
| Structure of Feeling | Shared social experience in particular time/place NOT formal ideology but lived experience Affective dimension of culture How period "feels" - emergent meanings Captured in literature, art before fully articulated |
| Keywords | Keywords (1976) - analyzed key cultural terms Words like "culture," "class," "art," "industry" Meanings change historically Language = site of struggle |
| Famous Phrase | "Culture is ordinary" + "Structure of Feeling" |
| Concept | Details |
|---|---|
| Hegemony (Gramsci) | Dominant group's consent-based rule NOT just force but consent Common sense = hegemonic ideology Can be challenged, contested Culture = site of hegemonic struggle |
| Subculture | Groups resisting dominant culture through style Punk, mods, rockers, etc. Style = symbolic resistance Eventually recuperated by mainstream (commodified) |
| Popular Culture | Mass culture = NOT just commercial manipulation Site of negotiation, resistance People make meanings actively Complex, not simply imposed from above |
| Ideology | Systems of belief serving power Naturalize the constructed Make contingent seem inevitable Cultural studies unmasks ideology |
| Articulation | Hall's term: linking elements together Culture = articulated elements, not fixed unity Can be rearticulated differently Political struggle = struggle over articulation |
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Media | Television, film, advertising, news, social media |
| Popular Forms | Romance novels, detective fiction, science fiction, comics, fan fiction |
| Subcultures | Youth cultures, punk, hip-hop, gaming communities |
| Everyday Practices | Shopping, fashion, food, tourism, sports fandom |
| Identity | Race, gender, sexuality, class, nation - how constructed/represented |
| Technology | Digital culture, internet, mobile media |
| Traditional Literary Criticism | Cultural Studies |
|---|---|
| "High" literature only | All cultural forms - popular, mass, elite |
| Aesthetic value primary | Cultural/political significance primary |
| Canon of great works | No canon; all texts worthy of study |
| Text-centered (New Criticism) | Context-centered; production/consumption |
| Apolitical (claimed) | Explicitly political; power relations |
| Single discipline (English) | Interdisciplinary |
| Close reading | Cultural analysis; ethnography; discourse analysis |
| Achievement | Critique | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratized Study | Legitimized popular culture, working-class experience | Abandoned aesthetic judgment? |
| Political Engagement | Linked scholarship to social justice, activism | Too politicized; propaganda? |
| Interdisciplinary | Broke down disciplinary barriers | Lacks disciplinary rigor? |
| Active Audience | Recognized audience agency, resistance | Overestimated resistance? |
| Identity Politics | Analyzed race, gender, class, sexuality | Fragmented politics? |
| Spread | From Britain to USA, globally; transformed humanities |
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Ecocriticism emergence | 1990s; term by Cheryll Glotfelty; ASLE 1992 |
| Ecocriticism definition | "Study of relationship between literature and physical environment" |
| The Ecocriticism Reader | Cheryll Glotfelty (ed.), 1996 - established field |
| Anthropocentrism vs. Ecocentrism | Human-centered vs. Ecology-centered worldview |
| First wave ecocriticism | 1990s - nature writing, wilderness, Romantic tradition, USA-focused |
| Second wave ecocriticism | 2000s+ - urban, global, environmental justice, postcolonial |
| Environmental justice | Environmental racism, toxicity, intersectionality (race/class/environment) |
| Cultural Studies origins | 1960s Britain - Birmingham CCCS (1964) |
| Birmingham CCCS founders | Richard Hoggart, Stuart Hall, Raymond Williams |
| "Culture is ordinary" | Raymond Williams - culture = everyday life, not elite |
| Structure of Feeling | Raymond Williams - shared social experience of time/place; lived, affective |
| Stuart Hall's model | Encoding/Decoding - three positions: Dominant, Negotiated, Oppositional |
| Hegemony | Gramsci - consent-based rule; common sense = hegemonic ideology |
| Subculture | Groups resisting through style (punk, mods); studied by Hebdige |
| Cultural Studies focus | ALL cultural forms (popular, mass); power relations; working-class culture |