Shakespeare and Ecofeminist Theory

(Hardback)

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Description

Ecofeminism has been an important field of theory in philosophy and environmental studies for decades. It takes as its primary concern the way the relationship between the human and nonhuman is both material and cultural, but it also investigates how this relationship is inherently entangled with questions of gender equity and social justice. Shakespeare and Ecofeminist Theory engagingly establishes a history of ecofeminist scholarship relevant to early modern studies, and provides a clear overview of this rich field of philosophical enquiry. Through fresh, detailed readings of Shakespeares poetry and drama, this volume is a wholly original study articulating the ways in which we can better understand the world of Shakespeares plays, and the relationships between men, women, animals, and plants that we see in them.

Reviews

Analysis of the natural world (mice, worms, plants, etc.) and feminist issues (domesticity, gender, the blazon, body shaming) demonstrate the necessity of an ecofeminist approach in Shakespeare. They also successfully situate ecofeminism as a historically essential and traditionally ignored body of scholarship, arguing that scholars who write on race, class, and gender have failed to cite ecofeminist theory despite its decades-long examination of these concepts Ultimately, the authors text offers hope for a reconciliation between what they regard as unequal representations within these unities and alliances, giving ecofeminism equal status in theoretical scholarship and lifting it from its subjugated state. * Renaissance Quarterly *

Author Bio

Rebecca Laroche is Professor of English at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, USA. Jennifer Munroe is Associate Professor of English at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, USA.