Reclaiming Nostalgia
ISBN: 9780813933368
Platform/Publisher: Project MUSE / University of Virginia Press
Digital rights: Users: Unlimited; Printing: Chapters; Download: Chapters
Subjects: Homesickness in literature.; Nostalgia in literature.; Nature in literature.; American literature;

Often thought of as the quintessential home or the Eden from which humanity has fallen, the natural world has long been a popular object of nostalgic narratives. In Reclaiming Nostalgia, Jennifer Ladino assesses the ideological effects of this phenomenon by tracing its dominant forms in American literature and culture since the closing of the frontier in 1890. While referencing nostalgia for pastoral communities and for untamed and often violent frontiers, she also highlights the ways in which nostalgia for nature has served as a mechanism for social change, a model for ethical relationships, and a motivating force for social and environmental justice.


Jennifer K. Ladino is Associate Professor of English at the University of Idaho.

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