The New Materialism Essays "is an academic collection published by Lexington Book Company in 2024, edited by Howard and Merten, bringing together renowned scholars in the field of new materialism research. This collection showcases the latest thoughts of Western scholars on the new materialist theoretical trend and literary criticism concepts, reflecting the forefront trends of Western literary theory in the context of the human world and climate change. The new materialism has profoundly influenced multiple disciplines, and although some scholars have applied the concept of new materialism to literary research, its literary criticism methodology still needs to be developed. The research team of New Materialism at Erfurt University in Germany actively explores the practice of literary criticism of New Materialism through organizing events and publishing results. This article will analyze the book from three aspects: academic context, core concepts and structural layout, and contemporary context, aiming to position its contribution to the methodology of new materialist literature research and objectively evaluate the value and significance of constructing new materialist literary theory.

The Evolution of New Materialism and New Materialism Literary Theory

In the framework of the new materialism theory, things are redefined as dynamic entities with inherent, active, and self created qualities, which has triggered an "ontological turn" in the field of Western humanities and social sciences. The new materialist philosophy rejects dualism and hierarchy, and tends towards monism and relationalism. New materialistic scholars use literary works to showcase and deduce their theories, such as Bennett's exploration of the vitality of non-human objects in "Vibrant Matter," Alemer's exploration of environmental ethical values in "Physical Nature," and Harman's proposal of "object oriented literary criticism" and "bizarre realism. The fictional, imaginative, and metaphorical nature of literary works helps to elucidate the vitality and debate of the new materialism, while providing a new perspective for understanding the relationship between humanity and the material world. Since the 21st century, the study of new materialism literature has continued to expand. For example, in his book "Materialism," Boskegee applied the theory of new materialism to the study of modernist literature, and in "Material Ecological Criticism," Iovanno and Obermann proposed the concept of "narrative kinetic energy. The emergence of new materialism has also given rise to interdisciplinary literary research fields, such as new materialist ecocriticism, women's criticism, trauma criticism, etc., revolutionizing the face of Western literary research. Although the new materialism has achieved fruitful results, the research space of new materialism literature still needs further exploration. The Erfurt New Materialism Research Team in Germany focuses on the relationship between new materialism and literature and aesthetics, and has proposed diffraction reading and speculative reading models, marking the continuous exploration and latest trends of Western scholars in new materialism literary theory.

Entanglement and Speculation: Core Concepts and Critical Practice

In depth exploration of the application of new materialism in literary criticism reveals its theoretical homogeneity and heterogeneity. New materialistic theorists share material views such as vitality, entanglement, and generation, but there are differences in research backgrounds and theoretical sources, forming different research branches. Brown outlined the three main research directions of new materialism in "Other Things," while Lemke defined new materialism from four dimensions and distinguished three main branches in "The Governance of Things: Foucault and New Materialism. Howard and Merten further distinguished the two core concepts of "entanglement" and "speculation" in "New Materialist Literary Theory" and constructed a theoretical framework.

The Construction of New Materialist Literary Theory and the Orientation of Anthropocene Context

Explored the construction of new materialist literary theory and its close connection with the context of the human world. The purpose of New Materialism in literary criticism is to explore the potential of New Materialism, especially in the context of the Anthropocene era, and to explore the relationship between humans and the material world. Compared with "Diffraction Reading", the new materialist literary theory has made deeper explorations in theory and literary research. The subtitle "Concept of Literary Criticism in the Anthropocene" of "New Materialist Literary Theory" emphasizes the importance of the Anthropocene context in the construction of new materialist literary theory. The rapid development of the new materialist trend is closely related to the climate and environmental crises of the 21st century, aiming to seek philosophical solutions that go beyond traditional dualism to address the global crisis caused by anthropocentrism. The new materialist literary theory critically reveals the unstable relationship between humans and matter in the Anthropocene era through the two core concepts of "entanglement" and "speculation", emphasizing the responsibility of humans towards non-human things. The value of "New Materialism Literary Theory" lies in its interpretation of the potential of new materialism as a paradigm for adapting to current research, as well as its intervention effect on the relationship between literature and reality. In addition, other achievements in the study of new materialism literature in the Western academic community were also discussed, such as the research project at the University of Southern Denmark, which shares similar motivations and goals as "New Materialism Literature Theory", exploring how new materialism can expand new dimensions of literary research. The New Materialism Literary Theory has a milestone significance in the construction of new materialism literary theory, providing important references for Chinese and foreign scholars to explore the application of new materialism in literary criticism. The new materialist literary theory not only reflects the influence of the historical context on the trend of humanistic research, but also embodies the forefront of literary criticism in the context of the human world.