Since storytelling began, narratives of getting lost in the woods or of choosing to live in the heterotopian space of the woods have remained popular and are, at the time of writing, experiencing a new revival. The theory of ecopsychology supplies a productive paradigm for understanding mental well-being in a cultural landscape suffused with reimaginings of nature as 'unspoiled wilderness'. The eco-psychopathologies presented in the essays in this volume range in origin from medieval literature to contemporary films and online games. The classic romantic or gothic trope of getting lost in the forest, but also its recreational function (forest-bathing) reflect mental states humans develop when they step into the culturally constructed entity of the woodland. These ecocritical analyses present different facets of such encounters.

Narratives of human existence that cross borders on manifold levels and reflect current vulnerability to the environment and humankind are essential preconditions to ensure an open-minded and humanistic society. This collection covers environmental, ethical, political, postcolonial, psychological, and sociological issues of borders and border-crossing. Combining creative writing with academic essays, this book seeks to incorporate the productive results of the eponymous Summer School which was organized for GAPS and held at the University of Augsburg in September 2015.