Ecocriticism
Introduction: The “Greening” Imperative
1. Campus Climate Commitment (2006)
o Over 500 college and university presidents signed the Climate Commitment, pledging:
Climate neutrality and greenhouse‐gas reduction
15% renewable electricity sourcing
Waste reduction initiatives
2. Illustrative “Greening” Projects
o Dining‐hall reforms: perimeter napkin dispensers (cuts paper waste); tray bans (reduces uneaten
food)
o Water conservation: timed showers in dorms
o Composting at Seattle University: food scraps → campus flowerbed fertilizer
o Warren Wilson College Eco-Dorm: solar fuel–cell power; edible landscaping
o Earth Day dorm challenges: lights off, unplug electronics
3. Philosophical Rationale
o Interconnectedness of all life echoes 1960s–70s environmentalism
o “Spaceship Earth” metaphor (EPCOT™; Rojas-Pérez): humanity as crewmembers, not
conquerors
o Call to “placehood”: define ourselves biologically, socially, politically through daily acts
Ecocriticism Defined
1. Origins & Terminology
o Coined by William H. Rueckert (1978; Literature and Ecology) first use of “ecocriticism” in Literature
and Ecology.
o Canonical status from Glotfelty & Fromm’s The Ecocriticism Reader (1995)
o Also called green studies, green criticism, ecopoetics, literary ecology, environmental literary criticism
2. Core Definition (Glotfelty & Fromm)
“Ecocriticism is the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment… an earth-
centered approach to literary studies.”
o Parallels with feminist criticism: just as feminism interrogates gender in texts, ecocriticism
interrogates nature and place.
3. Praxis Orientation (Lawrence Buell)
o Lawrence Buell:
Advocates for a criticism that is activist—not merely interpretive but transformative, urging
readers to environmental engagement.
o Moral Imperative: Literary analysis must raise ethical questions about our treatment of non-human life
and ecosystems.
Historical Development
Antiquity to Early Modern Pastoral
Greek & Roman Pastoral: Theocritus, Virgil’s Eclogues present rural life as counterpoint to urban corruption; early
reflections on humanity’s place in nature.
B. First-Wave Ecocriticism (Transcendental & Romantic Roots)
1. American Transcendentalists
o Margaret Fuller: The Dial fused feminist and naturalist thought, seeing nature as a realm of spiritual equality.
o Ralph Waldo Emerson: Nature (1836) proclaims a universal Over-Soul, uniting human and ecological systems in
a shared spirit.
o Henry David Thoreau: Walden (1854) combines memoir and natural history, critiquing consumerism and
advocating self-reliance in harmony with local ecosystems.
2. British Romantics
o Wordsworth & Coleridge (Lyrical Ballads, 1798): democratize poetic language, celebrate common rural life and
emotional responses to landscapes.
o John Keats: “Ode to a Nightingale” juxtaposes the immortal song of nature with human mortality, highlighting
ecocritical themes of loss and longing.
3. Raymond Williams
o The Country and the City (1973) examines nostalgia for a “lost pastoral” versus realities of rural hardship and
urbanization—a proto-ecocritical interrogation of place.
C. Second-Wave Ecocriticism (Contemporary Environmentalism)
1. Rachel Carson: Silent Spring (1962) exposes agrochemical dangers, launching modern environmental movement and
expanding ecocritical concern to toxicology.
2. Environmental Justice
o Richard Kerridge: foregrounds the plight of marginalized communities facing toxic-waste dumping, linking
ecological harm to race, class, and gender inequities.
o Challenges earlier ecocriticism’s focus on wilderness by insisting on urban ecology and social dimensions of
environmental degradation.
Institutionalization & Key Figures
1. ASLE & ISLE
o ASLE (1992) and its journal ISLE (1993–) provided organizational structure and publication venues,
solidifying ecocriticism’s academic legitimacy.
2. Foundational Editors
o Cheryll Glotfelty & Harold Fromm: curated foundational essays, mapping ecocriticism’s terrain.
o Lawrence Buell: theorized ecocritical waves; advocated activist criticism.
3. Significant Contributors
o Joni Adamson: integrates Indigenous literatures and environmental justice.
o John Elder: surveys American nature writing across genres.
o Scott Bryson: defines ecopoetic forms and their critical frameworks.
o Glen A. Love: bridges literary analysis, biological concepts, and environmental ethics.
Assumptions & Principles
Ecocriticism generally holds that:
1. Interconnectedness: Humans and non-humans form entwined ecological communities;
literature can reveal and reinforce this mutuality.
2. Interdisciplinarity: Necessitates dialogue between humanities and environmental
sciences—ecology, climatology, geology.
3. Reciprocity: Human culture shapes—and is shaped by—biotic and abiotic factors; texts
capture this dialectic.
4. Ontological Reality: Nature exists beyond human representation; literature must reckon with
its agency.
5. Ethical Stance: Recognizes intrinsic value of ecosystems; literary criticism must engage
moral imperatives for environmental protection.
6. Place-based Analysis: “Place” is an active agent in narrative—geology, climate, flora, and
fauna influence plot and character.
7. Political Engagement: Ecocriticism demands not only critique but also advocacy—
pressuring for sustainable policy and community action.
8. Stewardship: Literature fosters civic responsibility for future generations; ecocriticism
promotes long-term ecological thinking.
9. Theoretical Pluralism: Embraces ecofeminism, postcolonial ecology, Marxist political
ecology, queer ecologies—rejects monolithic doctrine.
Methodology: Pluralism in Practice
1. Ecological Close Reading
o Analyze how descriptions of landscape, weather, and animals function symbolically and materially.
o Track moments where human activity disrupts or harmonizes with ecosystems.
2. First-Wave Aesthetics
o Celebrate Romantic/transcendental nature writing; explore themes of solitude, spiritual renewal, pastoral ideal.
3. Second-Wave Critique
o Examine texts highlighting chemical contamination (e.g., Carson), industrial pollution (fiction like J. G. Ballard’s
The Drowned World), and environmental racism (e.g., Toni Morrison’s Paradise).
4. Urban Ecocriticism
o Study postindustrial landscapes—ruined factories, landfills—as ecological texts with toxic consciousness
(Deitering).
5. Ecocomposition
o Classroom practices: students write eco-journals documenting local environmental observations; compose life-
writing connecting personal narratives to place.
6. Ecofeminism
o Critique patriarchal binaries (man/woman, culture/nature); spotlight works such as Le Guin’s Always Coming Home
and Slonczewski’s A Door into Ocean that imagine gender-egalitarian ecologies.
7. Environmental Justice Lens
o Focus on narratives of marginalized communities (e.g., Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle) to reveal
intersections of poverty, race, and environmental harm.
Heuristic Questions for Analysis
When reading any text, ask:
1. Definition of Nature: How does the text conceptualize “nature”—as resource, sacred
realm, adversary?
2. Ecological Imagery: What recurring motifs (forests, rivers, storms) signify ecological
themes?
3. Human–Nature Interactions: Are characters complicit in environmental degradation,
or do they seek harmony?
4. Systemic Relations: How do social hierarchies (race, class, gender) influence ecological
roles and responsibilities?
5. Place as Actor: In what ways does setting drive narrative conflict or resolution?
6. Temporal Scales: Does the text engage cycles of seasons, geological time, or species
extinction?
7. Activist Potential: Does the text model environmental stewardship or galvanize reader
action?
Critiques & Self-Critical Responses
1. “So What?” Challenge
o Can ecocritical insights translate into policy change or grassroots mobilization?
Scholars like Buell answer with curricular innovations and community partnerships.
2. Theoretical Depth
o Patrick Murphy’s critique: demands more rigorous theoretical scaffolding—
borrowing from postcolonial, feminist, and Marxist ecologies to enrich ecocritical
frameworks.
3. Puritanical Rigor vs. Pragmatic Engagement
o Leo Marx’s warning: avoid moralizing that rejects any human-centered benefit of
conservation; balance ethical imperatives with pragmatic solutions.
4. Future Trajectories
o Expansion into digital ecocriticism (environmental data visualization), policy
advocacy, and collaborations with scientists and activists.
