Mythology and Ecocriticism: A Natural Encounter Introduction

Abstract

[EN] This issue was conceived to occupy a shared locus in the study of myth and ecocriticism which has so far been vacant. Its purpose is to link topoi such as Eden, the promised land and the new Canaan as manifestations of paradise, the Arthurian cycle, pastoral Arcadia, unexplored virgin tropical lands, and the American West with the current situation of the world we inhabit, in terms of our relationship with the land and the more-than-human world. Our aim was to show that myths and the literature of nature have been written in acknowledgement and understanding of each other, that they have evolved in parallel, with a common focus on the intervention of human beings in nature.