On The 20^th Century American Literary Concern With Ecological Environment

American literature has been concerning about environmental problem since earlier time as a result of its characteristic history of colonization and expansion. Since colonial days, there have been writings that showed concern on nature and environment. Especially in 1970s, with the development of enviromental crisis and movement, American literary critics began conscious critique on literaray expression of enviroment and soon spread to England and other countries. So far, the world literary researchers have achieved very remarkable establishment centered on environmental concern in literature and opened new research fields such as ecocriticism, ecoliterature, ecological art and ecological aesthetics, etc. However, as far as I am concerned, most researchers have paid their attention to the theory itself without enough detailed and careful reading of various genres of works. Moreover, few researchers have analyzed and illustrated the reflection of the enviromentalism development in literature works in the historical context of environmental movements. On the basis of the current research condition, the reseach is placed in the historical context of American enviromental movements. According to American enviromental history; the evolution of the American Environmental movement had three eras of peaks that resulted in American mordern environmetalism approximately from the end of 1890s to 1970s. In the research Amrican morden environmentalism and environental ethics are applied into reading the works of American writers Willa Cather in the the first era- Preservation and Conservation from 1890s to 1920s, Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner in the second era-transition from anthropocentrism to ecological ethic from 1930s to 1950s, Peter Benchley and Will Collins in the third era-the rise of modern environmentalism in the 1960s and 1970s to investigate their concern for environment. Evidently it's impossible that the seclected writers and works can cover all environmental ideas in the 20^th century American literature. Yet, they do represent American typical environmental consiousness in the 20^th century. They do concern about the relationship between human and natural environment, revealing common literary care for increasingly serious environmental crisis. Recent years, more and more science fictions have been created. Ecocritics agree that they aim to creat the image of environmental disaster to warn people of the possibility of frightening future if they keep on treating nature rudely. And some cartoons are also proper texts for further research on this issue.This dissertation consists of five chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on Cather's novels of the early pioneers: O, Pioneers! and My Antonia to illustrate the reflection of the Preservation and Conservation Movement. Willa Cather lived and wrote during the first era of environmental movement. My argument is that Cather was subtly influenced by the public debate over the value of nature and reflected it in her works. She was good at describing early Nebraska and early pioneers' life celebrating the humanized natural world. In Cather's works, Cahther portrayed the farm life as a harmonius man-nature picture to suggest the success of "wise use" policy of preservationists. That is to say, conservationism was also the main environmentl thought reflected in Cather's works. The women protagonists in works protect and work on nature with utilitarian motivation. However, it doesn't mean that's the only thing that Cather suggested. She also revealed presevationism through the characterization of Crazy Iva, who is the representive of presevationism. Obviously, Cather regarded conservationists as the protagonists in her works who struggle with the soil and finally make it productive and fruitful while preservationists as minor character though they are also important roles, which reflexes the central issue of the value of nature between preservatonists and conservationists and conservation prevailing at that time. Anyhow, the identification with nature and the awesome for life reflected in Cather's works suggests the undeveloped consiousness of environmental protection that pioneered the modern concept and policy of environment protection. Without doubt, Cather's concern about the issue of environment was a kind of conscious awareness, sentimentally attached to the pastoral life undefiled by industrial pollution in the past. It was not until 1940s and 1950s that the relationship between human and environment was reflected on ethically.Chapter 2 and chapter 3 expose the intellectual awakening and reflection on the issue of environment during the period from 1930s to 1950s, with Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkent as the study case seperately. Hemingway expressed the transmutation of his attitude towards natural environment, especially towards hunting in his hunting works such as Green Hills of Africa (1935), "The Short Happy Life of Francis Macomber" (1933), "An African Story" (1954), True at First Light (1999), which reflected the transition of Americans' environmental consciousness then. In Hemiway's hunting works, the hunters experience the changing attititudes to hunting from wildly killing for fun's sake and showing courage only to hunting for foods and wise utilization, from utilitarian motivation to meditation on the issue of animals' rights and to realization of the rights of animals as well. It has been widely accepted that most of Hemingway's stories are tragic. Nevertheless, few researchers have studied his tragic imagination in terms of his environmental consideration. I argue that the the tragic end of the hunting stories virtually get down to the human's over-conceited desire of conquering nature. Hemingway designed tragic end for his hunters in stories, vividly describing their feelings and reflection then that originated from their ambivalence and anxiety. Ironically the desire of hunting is combined with love to wild animals together, which reflexes Hemingway's refection on the human's conquering and pilliaging natural world and awakening ecological ethic. While Hemingway's concern was natural world mainly; William Faulkner later on began to care both natural and spiritual environment. Indeed, Faulkner revealed how human beings has devastated land and forest, slayed lives and exploited other races. Moreover, Faulkner stressed the interaction between natural and spiritual environment, cherishing the memory of the good past time. Faulkner implied that when human are alienated from natural world, goodness would leave human too. In Go Down, Moses, many characters who originally come from nature die or become mad in the end without the support of nature, which warn human of treating nature and environment reasonably.In chapter 4,I talk about the writers' response of primitivism and hunting ethical principles to environmental reality. During the study of Willa Cather, Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, I noticed that they all potrayed nonwhite characters who live simply like primitives such as indian and black or other minorities. Those characters, who are agianst civilization and go back to the simplicity of primitives, are placed against primitive wilderness. They pay homage to animism, believing that animals are prior to human. Their contact with nature and modesty will enhance their morality, which modern people lack. Hunting ethical principles that Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner expressed and advocated in works undoubtedly shows human's attitude towards other species. It is this attitude that will decide the fate of other species, which will influence the biological balance. So primitivism and hunting ethical principles are significant elements to consider when environmental issue is spoken of.In chaper 5,I illustrate the environmental reality and modern environmentalism in 1960s and 1970s expressed in literature, taking Peter Benchley's Jaws (1974) and Will Colins' Grizzly (1976) for examples. Both of Jaws and Grizzly were best sellers in 1970s. The two books are both panoramic exposure of American natural, spiritual and social environmental crisis in 1970s. Interaction among natural, spiritual and social environment is emphasized, while natural environment is the fundamental element. In the works, through the potrayal of some characters of modern environmentalists who are devoting themselves to environmentalism based on biology, biological holism, sustained development and the issue of animals' rights are considered and expressed.On the basis of detailed study and reading of the five writers and their representative works, I draw the following conclusions: Firstly, writers' environmental imagination is a kind of conscious literary response to environmental crisis. The deteriorating state of the environment has contributed to new dimensionality of literary imagination and study. Literature can be reagarded as an underlying media expressing human's thoughts and environmental consciousness, which can indirectly influence the policy and practice of environental protection. The environmental ethical principles that writers expressed and advocated in works have influenced and even changed the readers' idea about environment without question. In this way, literature has power to adjust the relationship between human and natural environment. It is self-evident that the research of literature and environment is of much significance, taking the role of environment and literature into account. I wish the research will futher awaken people's consciousness of protecting environment. Secondly, American environmental issue and development of environmentalism are characteristic based on its history and culture. Dating as far back as colonial period, natural world in North America was exploited wastefully until the issue of environment emerged earlier than any other places and countries. Thirdly, iteraction among natural, spiritual and social environment is emphasized, while natural environment is the fundamental element. If natural environment is once destroyed, surely the other two elements will get worse. To some degree, it's necessary and reasonable to resort to literature and art to save environment. According to Lu Shuyuan, literature is essentially a spiritual activity, which potentially play an important part in human's life and even the balance of the whole system of biology on the earth. It's essential to resurvey the nature and value of literature in the vision of ecology and from the value of spiritual life. Though the writers' literary imagination and effort can not solve the issue fundamentally, they have showed their sense of responsibility and advanced environmental consciousness and passion.