New Materialist Literary Theory

Critical Conceptions of Literature for the Anthropocene

This collection brings together internationally renowned literary scholars to develop a literary theory for the age of new materialism. It draws on the key concepts of entanglement and speculation i to highlight literature's timeliness and urgency in the Anthropocene.

This edited collection lends its origin to recent strands in philosophy that promote a critical conceptual return to the material world outside human culture. Through the lens of literary analysis and theory, this book devises the potential of New Materialism as a timely mode of critique towards the current human condition and its effect on literature and the present. With chapters by renowned literary scholars and theorists, key New Materalist conceptions of entanglement and speculation are represented by onto-epistemology and speculative respectively. Both of these concepts critically stipulate our precarious relation to this planet's matter following human interference. Entanglement analyzes this inference and its consequences, while speculation makes our cognitive limits in grasping these consequences and our obligation to continue trying to grasp them palpable. Literature acts as the site in which entanglement and speculation, as well as their alignment, are intensively presented and negotiated. Entanglement and speculation (theory) come together to work towards a critical literary theory fit for the Anthropocene.

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.