"Nature and Literary Studies supplies a broad and accessible overview of one of the most important and contested keywords in modern literary studies. Drawing together the work of leading scholars of a variety of critical approaches, historical periods, and cultural traditions, the book examines nature's philosophical, theological, and scientific origins in literature, as well as how literary representations of nature evolved in response to colonialism, industrialization, and new forms of scientific knowledge. Surveying nature's diverse applications in twenty-first-century literary studies and critical theory, the volume seeks to reconcile nature's ideological baggage with its fundamental role in fostering appreciation of nonhuman being and agency. Including chapters on wilderness, pastoral, gender studies, critical race theory, and digital literature, the book is a key resource for students and professors seeking to understand nature's role in the environmental humanities"--

Introduction: the Nature of Literature Peter Remien and Scott Slovic; Part I. Origins: 1. The book of nature Rebecca Davis; 2. Pastoral Terry Gifford; 3. Wilderness Debbie Lee; 4. Lucretian materialism Brent Dawson; 5. Natural philosophy Mary Thomas Crane; 6. Natural history Ashton Nichols; Part II. Development: 7. Romantic nature Marc Cladis; 8. The sublime Michele Speitz; 9. Toward a transatlantic philosophy of nature Samantha Harvey; 10. Indigenous naturecultures Rayson K. Alex; 11. Postcolonial nature Philip Aghoghovwia; 12. Extinction Timothy Sweet; 13. Nature in the Anthropocene Ken Hiltner; Part III. Applications: 14. Nature, gender, sexuality Greta Gaard; 15. Nature and race John Gamber; 16. The nature of animality Michael Lundblad; 17. Cultivating nature Shiuhhuah Serena Chou; 18. Narrating nature Erin James; 19. Digital nature Lai-Tze Fan; 20. Toxic nature Pramod K. Nayar; 21. Messages from within Serenella Iovino.