Returning From Conquering

The relationship between man and nature is always complex. Along with the progress of human civilization, the ecological crisis becomes more and more severe. The planet we are living on is endangered. Eco-literature takes it as its obligation to arouse people's concern for the Earth and the various form of life dwelling in the world so as to protect them from disasters, which accordingly boosts eco-literature and its criticism. Margaret Atwood, known as Queen of Canadian literature, is an outstanding represent of the eco-literature circle.Ever since she started writing from 1956, feminism, nationalism and eco-criticism are the main topics of her works. And those topics are often mixed and integrated. Therefore, this paper intends to take Atwood's four novels, namely The Edible Woman (1956), Surfacing (1972), The Handmaid's Tale (1985) and Oryx and Crake (2003) for example, to carry out a systematic study on her ecological writing and ideas.The paper is composed of three chapters, of which the first chapter sorts out the ecological crises embodied in the four novels caused by damages and destruction to environment and various forms of life due to man's abusive development, the second looks into Atwood's criticism about that abuse which approaches the issues from the perspective of industry and urbanization, consumption and technology, and the third discusses, in face of and with a understanding of the crises, Atwood's exploration and suggestions of the way for a harmonious existence between man and nature.The paper holds that eco-literature plays a significant role in urging human beings to look squarely at the ecological crises and helps explore and establish a harmonious relationship between man and nature. As Atwood puts it, man can cope properly with ecological crises only if anthropocentrism is discarded and coexistence is practiced. Atwood's ecological consciousness shows that she is trying to eliminate the imbalance by focusing on the building of Natural Ecology, Social Ecology and Spiritual Ecology. Only when the whole ecology is in a balance state, can human beings live harmoniously and happily. This paper obtains its practical significance in that it rings the alarm of ecological crises threatening human beings, and awakes people against these problems.