Abstract
Ernst Haeckel’s formulation of the term ‘ecology’ occurred at a time when the ecology of the British environment — the material and social relations between humans, other organisms, and the wider natural world — was being transformed by the impact of industrial capitalism and imperialism. The introduction to this issue of 19 sketches out how the Victorian imagination responded to changing ideas about the relationship between the human and non-human worlds in the long nineteenth century. In doing so, it builds upon the recent turn to ecocritical approaches within Victorian studies, and the emergence of Anthropocene studies, an interdisciplinary field that seeks to theorize and historicize the ways that humans have influenced the geology and biology of the planet. The aim is to underline the relevance of the Victorian context to present-day concerns around anthropogenic pollution, fossil fuel reliance, and even climate change.
Highlights
Victorian Ecology and the AnthropoceneWendy Parkins and Peter AdkinsWhat does it mean to read Victorian culture and literature through an ecological lens? One answer is that it enables us to return the concept of ‘ecology’ to its original set of contexts, definitions, and preoccupations
Coined by the German biologist and naturalist Ernst Haeckel in his book Generelle Morphologie (1866), ‘ecology’ named the study of ‘the relationship of the organism to the surrounding exterior world, to which relations we can count in the broader sense all the conditions of existence’
Haeckel explained, was to be an ‘entire science’ in and of itself and would provide an image of the ‘household of nature’, with the term eco deriving from the Greek word for house or household, oikos.[1]
Summary
Victorian Ecology and the AnthropoceneWendy Parkins and Peter AdkinsWhat does it mean to read Victorian culture and literature through an ecological lens? One answer is that it enables us to return the concept of ‘ecology’ to its original set of contexts, definitions, and preoccupations.
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callMore From: 19: Interdisciplinary Studies in the Long Nineteenth Century
Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
