Environment and Anxiety: Ruskin in Ecological Perspective

About This Novel

From the perspective of ecocriticism, this book discusses in detail the environmental thoughts of the Victorian cultural critic John Ruskin. It is undeniable that in the history of ecocriticism, Ruskin is an unavoidable figure. His sensitivity to the environment and his contribution to environmental protection cannot be ignored. Ruskin's environmental awareness runs through his art criticism and social criticism, and has many points of convergence with the ecocriticism that emerged in the 20th century. To be precise, his environmental awareness stems from the worries and reflections on the relationship between "civilization" and "nature" that were common in the Victorian period. Like Thomas Carlyle and William Morris's discussions on the environment, his environmental thoughts added a dimension of ecological thinking to the tradition of cultural criticism in the Victorian period. On the one hand, this dimension responds to the "anxiety" prevalent in the Victorian period, and on the other hand, the word "culture" adds thinking about the harmonious relationship between man and the environment in the dynamic evolution. Therefore, the voice of environmental criticism represented by Ruskin was essentially part of the "cultural anxiety" experienced by Victorian society in the period of social transformation. Taking the environmental concerns of the Victorian period as a mirror, we find that China, in the process of modernization, is also facing environmental "anxiety." Perhaps, by understanding the "British situation" in the Victorian period, it is possible to help us reflect on the situation in China here and now, which is the significance of this book.

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