ENGW 3315 Lecture 7: Three things historical literature can teach us about the climate crisis

• School: Northeastern University
• Department: English Writing
• Course: ENGW 3315
• Professor: Emily B.Avery- Miller

Document Summary

Three things historical literature can teach us about the climate crisis, david higgins and. The nature of the climate crisis is difficult to get across and can help us understand what"s at stake. Even though the climate emergency is unprecedented, there are key ways in which past literature offers a valuable perspective on the present climate crisis. Climate histories: historical texts reflect changing climate conditions that produced them. Many older texts bear indirect chases of historical climate change. How we view nature: reading historical literature lets us trace the development of modern constructions of the modern world. Studying historical texts helps us understand how modern cultural attitudes towards the environment developed. Ways of thinking: reading past literature can help us appreciate the natural world for its own sake and remind us of our own vulnerabilities to elemental forces. Literature can remind us of the need to take responsibility for our own impacts on the environment.