Ecocriticism can be described in very general terms as the investigation of the many ways in which culture and the environment are interrelated and conceptualized. Ecocriticism aspires to understand and often to celebrate the natural world, yet it does so indirectly by focusing primarily on written texts. Hailed as one of the most timely and provocative developments in literary and cultural studies of recent decades, it has also been greeted with bewilderment or scepticism by those for whom its aims and methods are unclear. This book seeks to bring into view the development of ecocriticism in the context of Canadian literary studies. Selections include work by Margaret Atwood, Northrop Frye, Sherrill Grace, and Rosemary Sullivan.

This Elusive Land introduces readers to women's perceptions and experiences of the Canadian natural environment. This multidisciplinary anthology discusses the ways in which women integrate the social and biophysical settings of their lives, featuring a range of contexts and issues in which gender mediates, inspires, and informs a sense of belonging to and in this land. In particular, the historical association of women with domestic nature is challenged by the investigation of women's lives in a broad range of environments. The collection begins with an introduction to literatures on women and the environment, and to Canada within ecological feminist conversations. of Canada's exploration and settlement, pointing to the literary, historical, and geographic significance of women's experiences in a variety of landscapes. Section two develops the ways in which the natural environment is a source of social and economic livelihood, with particular emphasis on fishery, forestry, agriculture, and parks. The third section explores environmental politics through a feminist perspective. The book concludes with a discussion of new directions for a culturally and ecologically diverse Canadian environment. informs environmental studies with a range of feminist perspectives, and complements Canadian studies by integrating disciplinary perspectives of the Canadian experience from the humanities and social sciences.