Ecocriticism: Exploring the Interplay of Literature and the Environment

Ecocriticism: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Ecocriticism is an interdisciplinary field that examines the relationship between literature and the environment. Scholars analyze texts that illustrate environmental concerns and explore how literature treats nature.

Core Concepts

• Ecology: The biological study of interactions between organisms and their physical environment.
• Domestic vs. Wild Nature: Domestic nature is customized for human benefit, while wild nature remains untouched by human intervention.
• Biocentrism: An ethical stance that values all life forms equally, regardless of their species.
• Darwism: The theory of biological evolution through natural selection.
• Pioneer Species: Organisms that colonize new environments, shaping their ecosystems and biodiversity.
• Speciesism: The cultural bias that assigns greater moral worth to certain species over others.

Key Terms

• Sentience: The capacity to experience suffering and have subjective experiences.
• Anthropomorphism: Attributing human emotions and traits to non-human species.
• Animal Standpoint: Perceiving reality through the senses and subjectivity of a non-human animal.

Literary Genres

• Tragedy: Explores human conflict and the potential for self-improvement.
• Comedy: Focuses on the continuation of life and the resilience of the human spirit.