The volume takes stock of the various extensions the growing field of
ecocriticism has seen over the last decade or so. Contributions from 15
specialists examine the increasing theoretical and methodological
self-reflection of the field, its expanding range of literary analysis
across canonical, thematic, and national boundaries, as well as the
interdisciplinary perspectives that have developed around it. The volume
stresses two aspects in particular: the ethical questions raised by
ecocritical inquiry and the importance and variability of close reading
as a core technique of ecocritical analysis. It includes a selection of
representative case studies from American, French, Italian, and Spanish
literature.