“Long Live the Weeds and the Wilderness Yet”: Ecological Esotericism and the Travel Writing of Ithell Colquhoun
Publication information:
Abstract
This paper will explore connections between how scientists write about the current state of the climate crisis and environment-themed esotericism. Both climate researchers and esoteric practitioners run up against the limits of “reading” or “knowing” a system as complex as planetary life, whether that attempt is part of a comprehensive global study of vital signs or the extended contemplation of the immediate setting of an esotericist’s private studio in southeastern Cornwall. There are important resonances to be found in the special report published by BioScience “The 2024 State of the Climate Report: Perilous Times on Planet Earth” and the mystical travelogue The Living Stones: Cornwall by Ithell Colquhoun.
Presenter Biography
Jeffrey Renye, PhD, is a Lecturer for the Critical Writing Program at the University of Pennsylvania. He teaches writing seminars that focus on topics that include Environmental Studies. In addition, Dr. Renye researches and writes about current engagements with folklore, physical and imaginal uses of edgelands, and speculative narrative forms.