ABSTRACT
Victorian Writers and the Environment: Ecocritical Perspectives is a collection of fourteen essays on Victorian writers whose work touches directly or indirectly on matters of the environment. Twenty years ago this volume would have been revolutionary. Today it can best be described as evolutionary, building on the fi ne work done by ecocritics (some of whom have contributed to this collection) on Victorian writers and their work. However, the notion of applying principles of ecocriticism to Victorian literature has been relatively late in developing; the fi eld is still being shaped. We hope this volume helps to clarify some principles by which ecocritics may interrogate Victorian texts and suggests productive directions for further study.
