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This handbook examines how literature represents the relationship between humans and the natural world.
What if the storm in a story isn't just a symbol for a character's sadness, but a character itself with its own history, motives, and power? Imagine a world where the landscape isn't where the story happens, but why it happens.
In traditional literary analysis, we often view the setting as a 'stage'—a static location where human drama unfolds. Ecocriticism shatters this view by introducing biocentrism, the belief that the non-human world has intrinsic value and agency. When we analyze a text ecocritically, we look for how the environment acts upon the characters. Is the mountain an obstacle, or is it a sentient force with a 'will' of its own? By shifting from a human-centered to an earth-centered perspective, we recognize that nature is not a resource to be used, but a participant in the narrative. This perspective challenges the Pathetic Fallacy, where human emotions are projected onto nature, and instead asks what nature is doing regardless of human presence.
Consider a scene where a flood destroys a village. 1. Passive Reading: The flood represents the protagonist's internal chaos and 'cleanses' their past sins. 2. Ecocritical Reading: The flood is a result of specific ecological imbalances (like deforestation upstream). The water is an agent that follows the laws of physics and ecology, indifferent to human morality. The story's meaning shifts from 'personal growth' to 'ecological consequence.'
Quick Check
What is the primary difference between a 'passive' setting and an 'active' environmental agent?
Answer
A passive setting serves as a symbolic backdrop for human emotion, while an active agent has its own influence, history, and impact on the plot independent of human needs.
Most global literature is rooted in anthropocentrism—the bias that humans are the most significant entities in the universe. This bias often leads to the Othering of nature, where the environment is treated as a 'thing' to be conquered, feared, or romanticized. Ecocritics look for 'speciesism' in texts, questioning why human life is prioritized over the survival of an entire ecosystem. In contemporary global literature, authors often use post-colonial ecocriticism to show how the exploitation of land and the exploitation of people are inextricably linked. By identifying these biases, we can see how literature either reinforces or challenges the mindsets that lead to environmental degradation.
Analyze a novel about a mining company in the Amazon. 1. Identify the Anthropocentric Bias: Does the narrative focus only on the economic 'progress' for the characters? 2. Identify the Ecological Cost: Does the text give a 'voice' to the displaced species or the poisoned river? 3. Evaluate the Power Dynamic: How does the text link the 'colonization' of the land with the 'colonization' of the local people?
Quick Check
How does 'anthropocentrism' affect the way a reader might view a forest in a story?
Answer
It causes the reader to view the forest only in terms of its utility to humans (e.g., timber, a place to hide, or a pretty view) rather than as a complex living system.
We are currently living in the Anthropocene, a geological epoch defined by human impact on Earth's ecosystems. Contemporary literature, often called Cli-Fi (Climate Fiction), grapples with this reality. These texts move beyond simple 'nature writing' to address systemic environmental crises. An advanced ecocritical analysis evaluates whether a text offers a vision of sustainability or merely falls into 'apocalypse porn.' We look for the Slow Violence described by Rob Nixon—environmental destruction that happens gradually and out of sight, such as toxic drift or soil depletion, rather than just sudden disasters like hurricanes.
Compare two dystopian novels. 1. Novel A: Focuses on a 'hero' surviving a wasteland by killing others for the last cans of food (Individualistic/Anthropocentric). 2. Novel B: Focuses on a community attempting to restore soil health and save seeds despite a changing climate (Systemic/Biocentric). 3. Conclusion: Novel B is more ecologically sophisticated because it addresses the process of restoration and the interdependence of species.
Which term describes the literary tendency to attribute human emotions to inanimate natural forces?
What does 'biocentrism' prioritize in a narrative?
According to ecocriticism, a 'good' environmental text must always end with a sudden, dramatic natural disaster.
Review Tomorrow
In 24 hours, try to explain the difference between 'anthropocentrism' and 'biocentrism' to a friend, using a movie you both know as an example.
Practice Activity
Pick a short story or poem you've recently read. Rewrite one paragraph from the perspective of the land or an animal in that setting, giving it 'agency' over the events.