Readings in the Anthropocene

Reviews / Votes

The thirteen interdisciplinary essays assembled in this volume demonstrate that transatlantic German Studies scholars are at the forefront of cultural studies research on the Anthropocene ... The contributors ... offer innovative examinations of German-language literature, film, photography, philosophy, illustrated periodicals, critical theory, and locations. ... The re-interpretation of canonical nineteenth-century literature makes this volume shine. ... I highly recommend Wilke and Johnstone's Readings in the Anthropocene. The volume is essential reading for specialists and broader audiences conducting cultural studies research and living ethically in the Anthropocene. * Pacific Coast Philology * Readings in the Anthropocene provides a timely collection of transdisciplinary essays on literary, historical and philosophical texts, films, artworks and caricatures in German studies within the broader fields of ecocriticism and environmental humanities from the eighteenth century until today. Scrutinizing the concept of the Anthropocene, the volume analyses the manifold interactions between the human and non-human world and encourages new thinking toward a sustainable future. * Gabriele Duerbeck, Professor of German and Culture Studies, University of Vechta, Germany * What do Kant, Hegel, Romantic poets and Naturphilosophen, as well as contemporary German writers and artists have to say about the Anthropocene? The answer to this question is at the core of this rich collection, superbly assembled by Sabine Wilke and Japhet Johnstone. Insightful, deeply researched, and elegantly written, the essays of Readings in the Anthropocene not only remind us that many of the concepts we use-ecology, the "Faustian" delusions of anthropocentrism-find their roots in the German imagination, but also show how intensely that imagination continues to enrich the whole discourse of the environmental humanities. * Serenella Iovino, Professor of Comparative Literature, University of Turin, Italy, and editor of Material Ecocriticism and Environmental Humanities: Voices from the Anthropocene * This excellent volume is distinguished by its cross-disciplinary reach, historical depth, and the considered attention that it brings to the conceptual and poetological, material and moral challenges of living in the Anthropocene. For the seasoned Germanist, there are plenty of welcome surprises here, for instance concerning Kant's eco-cosmopolitanism, the comic questioning of techno-optimism in fin-siecle satirical magazines, or the dark ecology of many recent German literary and visual narratives. Yet in addition to advancing environmental approaches within German Studies, Readings in the Anthropocene will contribute substantially to the internationalisation of the environmental humanities, providing ample evidence of the signal importance of German-language thought, literature, film and cultural history to this burgeoning transdisciplinary field. * Kate Rigby, Professor of Environmental Humanities, Bath Spa University, UK, and Adjunct Professor of Literary Studies, Monash University, Australia *