Literature and Environment, the Long View: Thoughts from the Founders of ASLE

Abstract

The Association for the Study of Literature and Environment (ASLE) is the primary professional organization of scholars, teachers, and writers who study the relationships among literature, culture, and the physical environment. At a recent roundtable discussion at the Western American Literature Association's Annual Conference, "flash papers" from ASLE's founders offered a fascinating array of view points reflecting on ASLE's twenty year history. Papers look at wilderness, post naturalism, science fiction, pedagogy, publishing and climate change. It is our hope that the set of papers collected here will commemorate a historical moment and spark a continuing conversation on the future of the organization.