Synopses & Reviews
In
Strange Natures, Nicole Seymour investigates the ways in which contemporary queer fictions offer insight on environmental issues through their performance of a specifically queer understanding of nature, the nonhuman, and environmental degradation. By drawing upon queer theory and ecocriticism, Seymour examines how contemporary queer fictions extend their critique of andquot;naturalandquot; categories of gender and sexuality to the nonhuman natural world, thus constructing a queer environmentalism. Seymour's thoughtful analyses of works such as Leslie Feinberg's
Stone Butch Blues, Todd Haynes's
Safe, and Ang Lee's
Brokeback Mountain illustrate how homophobia, classism, racism, sexism, and xenophobia inform dominant views of the environment and help to justify its exploitation. Calling for a queer environmental ethics, she delineates the discourses that have worked to prevent such an ethics and argues for a concept of queerness that is attuned to environmentalism's urgent futurity, and an environmentalism that is attuned to queer sensibilities.
Review
andquot;This lively study engages with and extends important emerging themes in queer theory and ecocriticism. Engagingly written and intricately argued,
Strange Natures demonstrates an exemplary practice of queer ecological reading.andquot;--Catriona Sandilands, professor, faculty of environmental studies, York University, Toronto
Review
andquot;Seymour specifically sets the queer ecology--which is a developing field, not an established one--apart from certain historical aspects of queer theory.and#160; The compelling case studies extend andquot;new queer cinemaandquot; aesthetics toward environmental politics and consider queer theoryand#39;s links to nonhuman life and the problematic term andquot;nature.andquot;and#160; Highly recommended.andquot;--Choice
andquot;Strange Natures demonstrates the ongoing vitality of queer ecology. . . . Inspiring criticism.andquot;--Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment
About the Author
Nicole Seymour is an assistant professor of English at University of Arkansas at Little Rock.