Reading
Mary Oliver through Ecocritical Lens
Prastuti
Dutta
M.A,
Mahapurusha
Srimanta Sankaradeva Vishwavidyalaya,
Nagaon, Assam, India
Abstract:
Presenting
environmental issues, information on environment, encourage people to take
necessary steps as well as to adopt environmentally sensitive attitudes towards
balancing the ecological system is one of the most concurrent topics that are
being portrayed by various literary scholars, writers throughout ages.
Environmental advocacy is known as a prime and basic concept of the great
contemporary American poet Mary Oliver. This research will try to demonstrate
Oliver’s constant communication with nature through an ecocritical lens and
also the how Oliver advocated through nature. Ecofeminism is a part and parcel
of ecocrticism. An ecofeminist approach in Oliver’s poetry will also be
projected in this research. Oliver is known for exploring intense relationship
between women and nature. A
transcendental attitude will also be illustrated throughout.
Keywords: Ecocriticism, ecofeminism,
transcendentalism, environmental advocacy, deep ecology
Introduction:
Relationship between
nature or non-human environment and human being is a matter of concern to
literary adherents since ages. But environmentally oriented literary and
cultural studies began to emerge as a legitimate critical field during 1990s.
Glotfelty is one of the first to bring in an ecological consciousness to
examine literature and also to examine the relationship between literature and
the natural world as a legitimate critical field of study by introducing her
eco critical text The Eco Criticism Reader. However, Mary Oliver is
known for her strong association with nature and creating literary works that
draw a parallel between human and nature.
Oliver’s poems investigate how one can merge with nature, experience the
wonders of nature and discover it again and again. Oliver carries nature back
to her poetry. A harmony between men and nature is very obvious in her poetry.
Her close observation of nature also gives an insight into human life that
portrays her ecological consciousness which is being reflected throughout her
poems. Her engagement with nature and also her encouragement to engage with
nature brings behavioural change. Her lyrics bear that capacity to reform a
person and immediately making him/her conscious towards non-human being. When
scholarly attention is paid to Oliver some argues her as different to that of
canonical English Romantics. Critics give contradictory opinions about Oliver’s
poetry. Though Oliver is not listed among renowned feminists, her poetry
focuses on women’s relation with nature through giving a new light. Contradictory
opinions are evident in this context as some argues that women are also
subjugated in some of her poems. While some argues about her devotion towards
nature other argues about the sensuality in her poetry.
However,
human being in her poetry can be seen as ‘other’ to the whole eco-system. Her
poetry does not showcase human being as mere users of natural resources or
nature only as a backdrop of a story of mankind rather presenting nature with
its original beauty which is beautiful even not getting any preferences from
human being. Human being and nature has intrinsic connections. Both share the
experience and existence. The only reality that exists in this world is nature
and it is felt and experienced by Oliver and is employed in every aspect of her
poetry. Her attachment with nature seems to be the original tendency of
Romanticism to reunite ‘self’ with nature. But this reunion is much more
different from those canonical Romantic writers such as Wordsworth, Keats, and
Shelly. As for those writers their approach to nature is in search for unity,
self-consciousness and imagination. They often romanticized nature through
poetry. Oliver’s approach is completely differs from that of Romanticized
attitudes to nature; rather she seems to be willing to merge with nature. Her
attitude is to gain that of the pure happiness and joy of this experience in
itself. She creates the intrinsic bond that connects the ‘self’ with all other
non-living human being. She differs from that of male canonical Romantic
figures as she employs the relationship between women and nature throughout her
poetry. Though she does not belong to the feminist figures yet there is always
a feminist outlook as well as a bond between nature and women are obvious in
her poetry. However, Oliver transcends ordinary things and moments and explores
more meaningful ways of looking at the world.
About the author:
Mary Oliver, a great
contemporary literary figure is born in Maple Hills Heights, Ohio. In her
younger age she is enormously influenced by Edna St. Vincent Millay and the
surroundings of Cape Cod landscape has a great influence on Oliver’s work.
Oliver’s works are known for its firm rootedness of nature, minute observation
of natural elements. Though her poems are rooted in Romantic nature tradition, yet
she differs from that of canonical Romantic writers. She won numerous awards
among them National Book Award, Pulitzer Prize and Lannan Literary Award is
remarkable. Oliver was regarded as “visionary as Emerson” and it is tagged by
critic Alicia Ostriker by reviewing Oliver’s poetry collection Dream Work.
Dream Work search to “understand both the wonder and pain of nature”. She
won the Pulitzer Prize for American Primitive (1983), her fifth book.
For the New and Selected Poems (1992) she won the National Book Award.
The celebration of natural world and elements is evident in her other
collections Winter Hours: Prose, Prose Poems, and Poems (1999), Swan:
Poems and Prose Poems (2010), Why I Wake Early (2004).
Objectives of the
Research:
a)
This study attempts to project an
ecological aspect of criticism.
b)
To analyse the ecological concerns in
Mary Oliver’s poetry.
c)
To give an ecofeminist overview of Mary
Oliver’s poetry.
d)
Exploring the human/nature dynamics
through Ecocriticism.
Research Gap:
Ecological study of a
text or poetry is not a new concept which will be projected in this research
proposal. As many critics critique Oliver as very similar to those canonical
Romantic writers and influenced by that of transcendental philosophy. But very
few works have yet been done in demonstrating the environmental advocacy, the intense
relationship between ‘self ‘and nature and the bond between nature and women in
Oliver’s poetry. This study is just an attempt to examine Oliver through these
aspects.
Hypothesis:
Eco critical approach
is obvious in most of nature poetry. Ecocriticism basically is to show how the
relationship between nature and human world is presented in literature. Mary
Oliver is known for creating strong bond between nature and human world and her
poetry can be seen through ecocritical lens.
Research Methodology:
This study focuses
explicitly on the relationship between human self and nature, women and nature
and exhibits the depth of nature that is being demonstrated by the poetry of
Oliver through eclectic methodology. A descriptive, analytical research method
is employed throughout the study to examine the poetry of Mary Oliver through
ecocritical perspective.
Literature Review:
Choudhury, Lopamudra in
“A Study of Ecofeminism” talks about the combination of feminism and ecology
and highlights the oppression of women by men and talks about social
discrimination, social injustice to women.
Nolan, Sarah in
“Depictions of Environmental Crisis in William Carlos William’s Paterson” presents
environmental concerns highlighting the losses of the globe in ignoring
environmental threats.
Shah, Sadaf in “An Eco
Critical Appraisal of the Selected Novels of Amitav Ghosh” highlights
relationship between nature and literature and also gives a brief survey of
Ecocriticism in India.
Sharma, Ashutosh in
“Eco Criticism in the Writings of Ruskin Bond” talks about environmental ethics
found for mindfulness, environmental concerns and issues over the globe.
Upadhyay, Ami in
“Ecofeminism an Ambivalent Relationship between Women and Nature in Selected
Novels of Arundhati Roy, Anita Desai and Sarah Joseph” talks about women and
environment which are inseparable part of culture and civilization.
Ecocriticism:
Cheryll Glotfelty in
her introduction to the foundational ecocritical text The Ecocriticism Reader
defines ecocriticism as “the study of the relation between literature and the
physical environment”. Ecocriticism takes an art centered approach to literary
criticism. It is Lawrence Buell who identifies many phases of ecocriticism:
firstly, ecocriticism mainly dealt with nature writing, wilderness and women’s
special affinity with nature. The second wave of ecocriticism turns its
attention to other literary genres and media, environment justice and urban
ecology. The third wave ecocriticism is seen as a new form of ecocritical
writings which transcends ecocritical boundaries and compares human experiences
across culture.
The
dominant ideology of anthropocentricism often denies the harmonious bond
between men and nature. Denial of holistic existence of nature results in the
exploitation of nature. Critics often blame industrial revolution as the reason
of creating environmental degradation. Critiques give birth to ecocritical
awareness and this awareness of ecological crises has given rise to the
discourse of ecocriticism. Eco critics work for eco centric egalitarianism.
Ecocriticism
gained a new height with the emergence of the deep ecology movement. The
founder of deep ecology movement Arne Naess calls human centric ecology
movement as ‘shallow’ for it denies the intrinsic worth of nature. He
differentiates between ‘shallow’ and deep ecology and laid down eight
principles of deep ecology movement. Arne Naess through the movement aimed at
‘self-realization’ and ‘bio centric equality’. Deep ecologists emphasize
nature’s living, autonomous existence.
Eco
critics viewed nature not as other rather they see as “environing home of
homosapiens”. Eco critics criticized what anthropocentric philosophy regards
human being as separate and superior to nature and ultimately suggests the
control of nature.
Analysis:
The effectiveness of
Oliver’s poetry in drawing attention to ecological interconnectivity and her
use of ecocriticism as a means of ethical concern and effective concern of
environmental advocacy will try depicting through her selected poems. This is
just an observation how nature writing can inspire to the reconnection between
living and non-human world and foster a sense of responsibility and care for
home as habitat. Highly derived from the ideologies of Whitman and Thoreau her
poems are deeply rooted around birds, mountains, sun, moon and also the
relationship between human and nature, women and nature.
Oliver’s
poem “The Kingfisher” is grounded in and growing from local ecology, one of her
genius creation where a minute observation of nature is being portrayed. It
takes part of understanding of its ecosystem and humanity is just one of the
inhabitant species. Nature elements are extensively used throughout the poem.
In the very beginning of the poem she describes “like a blue flower, in his
beak he carries a silver leaf”. She compares the shape of a leaf with its beak.
When she says “I think this is the prettiest world” it demonstrates her intense
attachment with nature. The poem somehow links human sensibility with nature.
“Hunger is the only story” that the kingfisher knows. He does perfectly what he
does, to just be in the natural world naturally with no worries, regrets,
disappointment. The speaker here tends to say that she/he longs for the same
simple and easy living as the kingfisher does, doing what he does.
“Morning Poem” by Mary Oliver is also one of her
significant contribution where she depicted a graceful bonding between human
and natural world. Nature as a savior to the lost and depressed soul is being
reflected throughout the poem. It talks about the new beginning after a night
of gloom and sadness. The poem has its setting in nature, an omniscient
narrator with a highly optimistic approach describes the blissful morning. The
phrase “sticks of the sun” visualizes the sun rays that are directly fall on
earth. With the sunlight coming, the “ashes of the night turn into leaves
again”, here she is may be talking about death and rebirth. Every elements of
nature is being beautifully depicted in the poem when she presents images of
ponds as “black cloth”, the summer lilies that are bloom on the “painted
island”. Each and every expression in the poem is expressed through natural
elements. Throughout the poem her intention to say is that the bliss in nature
remains constant.
Some critics have argued that Oliver’s poetry presents a
feminine subject merging with nature. Eco feminism aims at eliminating
dualistic hierarchies of male/female, nature/culture, human/non-human. Oliver does not only portray nature as
something very optimistic or something very pessimistic. Oliver does not feel
restricted by traditional dichotomies. She wants to defy patriarchal boundaries
by ignoring their defining powers. Oliver usually feminizes nature as a caring
mother. The image of Mother Nature who spread her passion over growing beings
prevails in her poetry. Her poems often question patriarchal structures, which
destroy nature and severely harm the human kind. In “White Flowers”, Oliver
describes her experience in this aspect. She presents two possibilities what
really happened to her: either “my body went diving/ under the sugary vines/ in
some sleep-sharpened affinity” or “that green energy/rose likes a wave/ and
curled over me, claiming me”. One thing she certainly knows is that,
Never in my life
had I felt so plush,
or so slippery,
or so resplendently empty.( New and Selected Poems)
The
poet’s connection with nature causes her to completely explore her true self.
Her other poems such as in “Sleeping in the Forest”, “The Sea” and also in
“White Night”, Oliver attempts to understand the world by getting outside into
nature and making herself as an outsider to the whole ecology.
Conclusion:
Mary Oliver’s poetry
develops a bridge between self/nature, women/nature, body/soul and
nature/culture. Her poems bear witness in to the natural world and attempt to
construct an ecocentric perspective and also an ecofeminist perspective. Though
she is not the first to explore this concept, but her expressions, motifs are
differ from those canonical writers. To understand the existence of living and
non-living being as interdependent on ecological whole Oliver’s poetry plays a
great role in this regard. Maxine Kumin in the Women’s Review of Books writes
that she was an “indefatigable guide to the natural world”. Oliver gives a
subtle way of looking at the world through her poetry and it is clearly evident
in selection of the title of her poems. She does not give any pessimistic or
optimistic view of perceiving the nature simply but choses a middle way between
these and gives an insignificant way of looking at nature throughout her
poetry.
Works Cited
Abrams,
M.H., Harpham, Galt, Geoffrey. A Handbook of Literary Terms. India ed. Cengage
Learning India Private Limited. Print.
Barry,
Peter.Beginning Theory: An Introduction to Literary and Cultural Theory. 4thed.
Manchester University Press, 1995. Print.
Kumin,
Maxine. Women’s Review of Books. Volume 10, April, 1993.
Glotfelty,
Cheryll, Fromm, Harold. The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary
Ecology. University of Georgia Press, 1996.
Mead,
Rachael. “The Sixth Creek Exegesis: The home as habitat-writing and
protecting the local”. Volume 2, May 2016. https://digital.library.adelaide.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/2440/101791/4/04whole.pdf
Oliver,
Mary. Dream Work. Atlantic Monthly Press,1994.Print.
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House Of Light. Reprinted. Beacon Press,1992.Print.
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New And Selected Poems. Reprinted. Beacon Press,2004.Print.