Abstract:
This article endorses Paul Taylors concepts of environmental ethics compiled in the book Respect
for Nature. A theory of Environmental Ethics. (1986 / 2011) It is based on the premise that literature
plays a pivotal role in addressing environmental degradation and can bring a significant, and perhaps
different discourse on the Human-Nature-relationship to the fore. It proposes to read fictional texts
under the premises of both Hubert Zapf’s cultural ecology, and other concepts from the field of
environmental ethics, using Katja Brandis’ and Hans-Peter Ziemek’s Ruf der Tiefe and Julia
Boeme’s Conni rettet die Tiere as focal texts. This contribution investigates aspects of environmental
narratives, as well as forms of environmental discourse in the selected fictional texts. In
doing so, the paper extends the perspectives on environmental literature and participates in an academic
practice of reading fictional texts in the context of the Anthropocene.
