Ecology without Culture

This chapter introduces my concept of the “biotrope” to navigate the broader question of why and how the material world has proven to be such an effective medium for representing culture. It then argues that ecocriticism needs to be more skeptical about cultural claims. The chapter then shows how literature, poetry, and film are at their most critical and effective when they are not made to replicate our desire for a world that appears to be made by and for specific human collectives or the anthropos.