Ecospatiality: A Place-Based Approach to American Literature

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Ecospatiality examines modern and contemporary American prose literature through the concept of place, highlighting how authors like William Least Heat-Moon, Willa Cather, Richard Wright, and Leslie Marmon Silko depict and reinterpret real-world locations and the relationships between humans and their environments. Drawing on insights from geography, sociology, ecocriticism, and geocriticism, the book introduces the theory of ecospatiality, which views place as spatial, ecological, and historical. In light of ongoing ecological crises and rising social disorder, understanding our relationship with the environment has never been more critical. As we navigate the climate change era or the Anthropocene, it becomes essential to recognize that our living spaces are rapidly evolving due to economic and environmental factors. Instead of seeing place as a mere backdrop for social interaction, we should acknowledge its integral role in shaping human experience. Literature serves as a valuable tool for exploring these dynamics. Lowell Wyse illustrates that literary texts can function as forms of cartography. By focusing on narratives set in North America, the book reveals how these works utilize realistic literary geography to highlight and sometimes reinterpret key elements of environmental history within specific communities and bioregions.