The
Etiquette of Ecocriticism: Ecology and Literature
Wasim Azam
PhD
Research Scholar
Department
of English
Banaras
Hindu University
Varanasi,
Uttar Pradesh, India
Abstract:
Ecocriticism
is an exploration of relationship between ecology and literature. It signifies
the impeccable connection between human life and nature. It evokes the proper
association of determinism and possibilism. Nature controls human action with
the exaltation of embodiment of various sources that are vital in human
perspective. The objective of the paper is to present the relationship between
human concentration and environmental control regarding the perception of
equity of science and literature. Ecocriticism empowers the connection between
human and the environment leading to the manifestation of uniformity and
wellbeing. It is known for its analysis and synthesis with an assessment of ecology
and literary texts. It evokes the natural world and physical world as well. It
is the study of natural matters in literature rather than artificial
substances. The paper explores real matter in relation to the environment is
dominated by language, culture, and society. The eternal combination of ecology
and literature can be displayed with a peculiar analogy that is paralleled
between ecosystem and imaginative text.
Keywords:
Ecology, Literature, Environment, Ecocriticism, Nature
Introduction
The term ecocriticism is an
evolution of relationship between human and nature in which environmental
concerns along with human concerns are covered. Ecocriticism is first time
originated by Joseph Meeker in his work The
Comedy of Survival: Studies in Literary Ecology published in 1972. He has
termed it as “literary ecology.” Ecocriticism is first time coined by American
critic William Rueckert in his essay titled Literature
and Ecology: An Experiment in Ecocriticism
that is published in 1978. The work covers the analysis of environmental issues
and concerns. Ecocriticism describes its origins and evolution from early works
of ecology, ethics, language, criticism, geography, natural and social
sciences, history, literature, American studies, and media studies. Basically
it is consulted by fields, such as ecology, sustainable design, biopolitics,
environmental history, environmentalism, and social ecology. It is concerned
with green studies or green cultural studies. Ecocriticism sometimes advocates
the environmental literary criticism. It facilitates how matters are possible
in literature and environmental studies. It works as an art of prevailing
rapture describing the term ecopoetics. “The field of enquiry that analyzes and
promotes works of art which raise moral questions about human interactions with
nature, while also motivating audiences to live within a limit that will be
binding over generations” (Gomides).
The
Scope of Ecocriticism
Ecocriticism is evolved
broadly throughout the environmental studies and literature. It is extended
from ecopoetics, natural writing, and romantic poetry. It is evolved for
theatre, animal stories, fable, parable, children stories, architecture, film
studies, cinema studies, media studies, science narratives, science fiction,
and stories of romance. Dana Phillips has criticized the literary quality and
scientific accuracy of natural writing in the work The Truth Ecology with giving recommendations of environmental
equity. Environmental equity as an agitation works for ecocritical discourse.
Joseph Henry Vogel states, “Ecocriticism is an assessment of economic school of
thought.” This criticism is taken for film studies on the matter of Amazonian
deforestation. Ecology depicts various resources having no technical solution
regarding problems and technical issues. Ashton Nichols states, “The historical
dangers of a romantic version of nature are needed to have replaced by
urban-natural roosting” with a reflection of rural life and urban life. The
passion is required for not only urban life but also for natural passion of
rural life. There are several ways to generate the luminous intensity
throughout the literature and ecology. The concerns of literary texts and
environmental studies are studied on a boarder level to scale the various
fields related to ecocriticism.
Ecocriticism:
Fundamental Tenets
The human perception is
examined on the basis of relationship between human dimension and natural
dimension. The ecological perceptions can be extracted from natural texts
related to the natural relationship. It can be man centered. It can be nature
centered. It is concerned with green culture and environmental culture. The
relationship with nature makes a comfortable environment for human. “Ecocriticism
in relation to anthropocentrism is a mainstream assumption that the natural
world would be seen primarily as a resource for human beings as well as
critical approaches to changing ideas in the material and cultural bases of
modern society” (Clark).
The term ecocriticism is
derived from various disciplines, such as history, economics, philosophy,
ethics, and psychology which are recognized by ecocritics. William Rueckert is
the first one to introduce the term ecocriticism in his essay titled Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Ecocriticism which is owed
to Rachel Carson. Rachel has exposed the environmental concerns by exploring
the spring of silent. Rueckert has examined intention to concentrate on the
application of ecology and ecological concepts to the study of literature.
1) Exploring green cultural
studies
2) The interdependence of
nature and culture
3) The ethical component of
literature
4) The connection between
living environment and ethical wholeness
5) Expansion of family,
community, and household
6) The dichotomy between
pattern and rhythm
7) The dichotomy between
time and change
8) The dichotomy between
life and death
9) Pastoral versions of
people and nature
10) The passion between
urban life and rural life
11) The connection between
local and international utterances
12) Inculcation of
ecofeminism
13) The extension of
hyper-reality
Anthropocentrism is
considered in the tragic manner in which moral conflicts are more popular than
just biological survival concerns. The science of animal ethology demonstrates
a comic mode of muddling and making love, not war having ecological value and
importance. In the second wave of ecocriticism, there is an adoption of an
ecophilosophical position with scientific sanction. Things are presented through
ideological point of view and historical point of view. “The second wave of
ecocriticism is defined with public health environmentalism with a reception of
ethics and politics that are sociocentric rather than ecocentric” (Buell).
The second wave not only considers
wilderness but also encompasses urban landscape and industrial landscape. The
urban and industrial landscape has been explored by Victorian social novelist
Charles Dickens, writing about public concerns and health approaches. The
second wave of ecocriticism has been explored with the first wave of
ecocriticism through an innovative approach of resources. The environmental
resource distribution, environmental equity, minority, and socio-economic
impacts are vital to the significance of the second wave of ecocriticism.
The
Approach of Determinism and Possibilism
There is a proper
assimilation of nature and man. The relationship between human and nature
states the concept of determinism and possibilism. The approach takes man in
the lap of nature by which man is controlled by nature. We can understand the
relationship between man and nature with the spirit of making concentration to
environmental studies. The connection
between man and nature can be understood with theories of determinism and
possibilism. Friedrich Ratzel mentions that nature is in centre and controls
the activity of man, while defining the concept of determinism. In the concept
of possibilism, Man is in centre and forwards according to the law of nature.
Man is in centre but never crosses the boundaries of nature, just follows all
the ways of nature anyway. Apart of these two concepts, third concept is
Neo-determinism which is blending of determinism and possibilism. Through the
concept of neo-determinism, the connection between man and nature is existed.
Neo-determinism is the state of providing the mystic and ascetic nexus between
man and nature. Each particle sojourns in the each and every part of nature
while nature covers all aspects of environments. The concept of neo-determinism
seeks to impart how nature plays an important and dominant role in making
connection between man and nature.
Ecocriticism:
Anthropological Culture
Ecocriticism is associated
with anthropology and culture. The relationship between human and nature is
directed and impacted by the state of culture and structure. The human
behaviors are important to understand the association between environment and
human perceptions through the ecocriticism to Shakespearean studies. Estok
states, “Ecocriticism is the study of nature or natural things in literature
rather than it’s a theory that is committed to effecting change by analyzing
the thematic, artistic, social, historical, ideological, theoretical function
of natural environment that contribute the material practices in the material
worlds.” The functional approach of the cultural ecology is the branch of
ecocriticism, refining the imaginative literary text. It states the assessment
of analogy between ecosystems and imaginative patterns, positing as an
ecological function in the anthropological culture. It is known for green
studies and environmental literary criticism, incorporating insights from
ecology, sustainable design, and biodiversity. Nature behaves in the realistic
ways as human perceives the things whatever things are required to mention the
connection between human behavior and anthropological culture.
Ecofeminism:
Form of Ecocriticism
Ecofeminism is an important
discipline to state the thoughts of ecology and feministic thought. It may be
political environment and social ecology. It states the concept of gender
studies to make a connection between environment and man. It may be noted to
assimilate the physical world and natural world. Ecofeminism is first time
coined by French critic Francoise d’Eaubonne in her work Le Feminisme ou la Mort that is published in 1974. It reflects a
proper perception of green politics with the notion of greenery parts of
criticism. Green politics is an exploration of equilibrium for assessing the
state of egalitarianism within society. The prominent culture is infused with
the notion of truth, morality, and ethics. Ecofeminism may be liberal,
cultural, social, spiritual, and materialistic. It can be healed by the
feminine instinct for nourishment and the holistic schooling of nature
equation. Ecofeminist states the relationship between female and nature in
culture, economy, religion, society, politics, literature, and iconography.
Ecofeminism levels all oppressions of natural instincts and the oppressions of
women. It is not only restricted to
female and nature’s perspective that is considered through materialistic
approach. Environmental approach highlights the perspective of both female and
nature. Men are considered as the curators of culture while women are
considered as the curators of nature. Ecofeminism is reflected in terms of
domination where men dominate over women and humans dominate over nature but
humans grow and process things according to rules and regulations of nature. It
encompasses the gender identity and nature on the basis of coordination.
Ecocriticism evaluates three phases of ecofeminism that is evolved by art,
literature, and culture. The art, literature, and cultural perceptions are
created by humans in relation to the environment. The ecological approach encompasses
the ambience of nature concentrated by human. An art centric rather than human
centric state the three phases of ecofeminism as the followings are given
below:
a) The representation of
image
b) The signification of
value
c) The theoretical construction
and the symbolic construction
Conclusion
Ecocriticism is sometimes
considered as ecological criticism. It is the study of relationship between
literature and physical environment. The environmental concern along with human
interaction is reflected through natural motivation and attention. Ecocriticism
emphasizes the natural environment and physical environment of human culture.
It is figured through pastoral concern, the concept of wilderness, and the
theory of ecofeminism. Ecology and literature both are connected to each other
in terms of human perception. Human action is a common to both fields that’s
why ecocriticism covers literature, biological perspective, and geographical
perspective. Ecocriticism is an exploration of environmental concerns, examining
human perceptions of wilderness, and critique human-centered vision of nature.
Works
Cited
Adams,
Carol. Ecofeminism and the Sacred.
Continuum, 2007, pp. 1-8.
Buell,
Lawrence. “Ecocriticism: Some Emerging Trends.” Qui Parle, vol. 19, no. 2, 2011, pp. 87-115. JSTOR, doi:10.5250/quiparle.19.2.0087.
Clark,
Timothy. The Cambridge Introduction to
Literature and the Environment. New York: Cambridge UP, 2011, p. 2.
Gomides,
Camilo. “Putting a New Definition of Ecocriticism to the Test: The Case of the
Burning Season.” Interdisciplinary
Studies in Literature and Environment, vol. 13, no. 1, 2006, pp. 13-23. ISLE, doi:10.1093/isle/13.1.13.
Meeker,
Joseph. The Comedy of Survival: Literary
Ecology and a Play Ethic. University of Arizona Press, 1997.
Merchant,
Carolyn. “Ecofeminism.” Radical Ecology,
Routledge, 2005, pp. 193-221.
O’Grady,
John. “Unhandling Our Perspective.” Interdisciplinary
Studies in Literature and Environment, Oxford University Press, vol. 2, no.
1, 1994, pp. 117-121. JSTOR,
https://www.jstor.org/stable/44087331.