Ecology and German Realism

Shows, contrary to the traditional view, that the major authors of German literary realism not only thematized environmental transformation but that it was central to their aesthetics. In nineteenth-century Europe, and particularly in Germany, the industrial revolution led to air and water pollution, urban and industrial sprawl, and the physical reconstitution of natural landscapes. This book investigates the relationship between environmental degradation and German Realist aesthetics, challengi