Ecocriticism

1

• Ecocriticism
• Study of environment in lit.
• Cheryll Glotfelty in The Ecocriticism Reader
  Landmarks in literary Ecology points out that
  history law, sociology, religion, started
  greening since 1970s.
• Literary studies appeared nonchalant- to
  environmental concerns.
• Glotfelty corrects says ecologically informed
  criticism, theory existed through 60s, 70s.
• Lack of organization Glotfelty
• Desperate need- fulfiled by forming ASLE
  (Association for the study of Lit and Environment
  1992)

2

• William Rueckert coined term in 19778.
• Michael P. Branch, Scott slovic in ISLE Reader
  wrote a term to describe environmental
  implications of Lit texts.
• Glen A Loves Practical Ecocriticism says
  ecocriticism literary enquiry encompassing
  humna, non-human contexts.
• Greg Garrards Ecocriticism -says E. C. Study
  of relationship of human, non- human.
• Lawrence Buells The environmental Imagination
  Thoreau, Nature writing and the formation of
  American culture says the non-human environment
  is present as a presence.

3

• Suggests human history is implicated in natural
  history.
• Human interest is part of texts interest.
• Beginning focus of Ecocriticism too narrow.
• Umbrella term includes
• Nature writing
• Deepecology
• Ecology of cities
• Lit of toxicity
• Environmental justice
• Bioregionalism
• Lives of animals
• Revaluation of place, Interdisciplinary ecotheory

4

• Includes unheard voices, reinterpretation of
  works of past.
• Scott slovic First president of ASLE argued
  No single it work utterly defines ecological
  interpretation.
• Lawrence Buell ecohes the same view.
• Robert Kerns essay Ecocriticism what is it
  Good for?- says E. C. becomes interesting ,
  useful.
• Kern takes Jane Austens Pride and Prejudice as
  (eg) and says it should be read in terms of
  orientation to environment.

5

• Greg Garrards book Ecocriticism studies basic
  tenets i.e.,
• Apocalypse
• Dwelling
• Animals
• Wildness
• Deepecology demands return to egalitarian
  identification.
• Blames anthropocentric dualism of Humanity vs
  Nature.
• Basic theory of E.C
• Joseph Meekars pioneer work The Comedy of
  Survival considers Lit production important to
  human species.
• Lit should be examined to discover influence on
  human behaviour, natural environment.

6

• Meeker coined term Literary Ecology
• Meeker says comedy promotes healthy survival
  values Tragedy Maladaptive.
• Lynn white Jr a historian says environmental
  crisis matter of beliefs, values of science and
  technology.
• Christopher Manes uses Foucoults theories says
  Nature remains silent in western discourse.
• Ecocriticism connections with
  poststructuralist, post colonial theories science
  of ecology.
• Catrin Gersdory, sylvia mayer views EC emerging
  paradigm.
• E. C includes category like Race, class, Gender.
• Explores Alientation of humans, erased roots of
  natural social life.

7

• Revises anthropocentric culture.
• Establishes connection with physics, cybernetics,
  systems theory.
• E. C. recycles, regenerates lit. texts.
• Mary Austins The Land of little Rain (1903)
  changed way people looked at deserts.
• Aldo Leopolds A sand county Almanac (1949)
  asserts all species ve biotic right.
• Rachel carsons Silent Spring (1962) opened eyes
  of public to dangers of pesticides.
• Edward abbeys Desert Solitare (1968) celebrates
  harsh beauty of desert landscape.
• Annie Dillards Pilgrim at Tinkercreak (1974)
  gace new direction to ecotheological studies.

8

• Gary snyders Turtle Island (1974)- made cohesive
  statement of environment on
• Social
• Political
• Aesthetic
• Personal
• Spiritual
• Cultural
• Barry Hopezs Arctic Dreams (1986) questions
  place of Actic in human imagination.
• Modern environmentalism relies on pastoral,
  apocalypse Genesis, revelation, first and last
  books of Bible.
• Keats poem Labelle Dame Sansmerci emphasises
  magical power of woman with environment.

9

• Richard Kerridge says E. C. evaluates texts,
  ideas interms of coherence, usefulness or
  environmental crisis.
• Bacons The Advancement of Learning (1605) -
  founding text of modern scientific methodology.
• Carolyn Merchant wrote the death of Nature
  (1980), he reconstitutes nature as dead, passive,
  dominated by humans.
• Ecocritics remain suspicious of science of being
  objective, value free.
• According to Dana Phillips The Truth of Ecology
  (2003) Timothy Mortons Ecology without nature
  (2007) views, E. C. as simplistic representation.
• Morton says nature writing escapes velocity from
  writing itself.

10

• Pollution seeped into concern of
• sylvia plaths poetry brain (1998)
• Dickens Hardtimes (1854)
• Erin Brockovich (2000)
• Terry Tempest williams Refuge (1991)
• Anthony Lioi proposed swamp dragon as a symbol
  for dirt pollution.
• Robert Sullivans The Meadowlands explores
  wilderness of toxic waste dumps.
• Environmentalists- People wishing to maintain
  improve standard of living.
• Martin Lewis Green Delusions (1992) combines role
  of science, technology, government policy change
  with environment.
• Lewiss Promethean promotes sible to protect
  nature.
• Richard Norths Life on a Modern Planet (1995)
  adopts modern, manifest for progress.

11

• Referred Books
• Ecocriticism in practice V. Sumathy.
• Ecocriticism by Greg Garrard (2nd Edition)
• Ecological criticism for our times Literature,
  Nature and critical Inquiry Murali
  sivaramakrishnan, vijjwal Jana.