The Queerness of Water: Troubled Ecologies in the Eighteenth Century

Clearly and energetically written, Chow makes a valuable and important contribution to blue humanities criticism in the context of eighteenth-century English literary studies. The Queerness of Water moves beyond salt water to river banks, water torture, and ice-scapes, to show how a 'beyond the oceans' approach can renovate blue thinking in the eco-humanities. It builds on existing queer ecostudies by connecting contemporary theorists to historical English literature and by making queer studies more watery and watery studies more queer.

Steven Mentz, St. John's University, author of Ocean (Object Lessons)

Chow makes an original and substantial contribution to at least three fields: 18th-century literary studies, ecocriticism and the environmental humanities, and queer studies. Such a multi-pronged contribution is rare and important. Queerness also features many excellent close readings, including of authors?such as Jonathan Swift?who have rarely been read through a queer lens.

Nicole Seymour, California State University, Fullerton, author of Bad Environmentalism: Irony and Irreverence in the Ecological Age