Emerald Green: An Ecocritical Study of Irish Literature

Emerald Green offers a critical examination of how Irish literature reflects and responds to the island's changing relationship with nature, particularly under the pressures of rapid development. The study traces literary depictions from lush, forested landscapes in Gaelic writing to barren, deforested regions in famine-era narratives, contrasting them with idealized mystical interpretations by figures like Yeats and A.E. It also analyzes poetry linked to island groups such as Skellig Michael, highlighting the tension between human habitation and natural preservation. The research employs ecocritical theory to dissect these themes, revealing how literature both documents environmental transformation and critiques its consequences, including urban alienation.

Gifford, T. (2011). Emerald Green: An Ecocritical Study of Irish Literature. Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment, 18(1), 239–240. https://doi.org/10.1093/isle/isq133