Poetical Dwelling

Gary Snyder (1930—) is one of the few American poets who has devoted his life to practicing his belief, and he is thought as the only"unbeaten Beat"who is still active among contemporary poets. Most of his poems are concerned with the theme of environmental protection and ecological balance. Snyder has composed a great number of poems in all his life, and his ceaseless writing came into a pinnacle with the publication of Turtle Island in 1974, which won him the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1975. In addition to his ecological theme, Snyder has also incorporated various cultures in his poetry. The cross-fertilization and interpenetration of these cultures have developed a unique writing style of his own, in which Chinese, Japanese and Native Indian ideas can be easily found. In his poetry, Snyder's Oriental knowledge and ecological perspective interacts with each other and they are integrated into the European traditions. Snyder's unique eco-poetics has drawn great interests of contemporary literary critics, and a lot of researches have been done to have a deep understanding of the poet. Being different from the researches that have been done in the past few years, this thesis will give a deep and thorough analysis to the close relationship between Snyder's eco-poetics and Taoist ideas. With an attempt to illustrate how the Taoist elements influence Snyder's composition, this thesis falls into three parts to discuss the topic from different aspects. The Introduction will present a brief and general review to Snyder's life and works, indicating the close relationship between the poet and the Taoist ideas.In Chapter One, we will have an analysis from natural perspective. A brief introduction to Taoist views on nature will be presented at the very beginning, and then we will have a deep analysis of Snyder's absorption of the Taoist elements in his eco-writing. Based on his understanding of the Taoist ideas and his own experiences, Snyder developed his ecological writing, making a critic to contemporary world, proposing the ideas of sense of nativeness, eco-Utopia and depth ecology, and these new concepts have become important parts of his eco-poetics. In Chapter Two, we will discuss the topic from aesthetic perspective. There are many statements on aesthetics in the Taoist works, the most obvious are its subversiveness to language and emphasis on intuitive power. Snyder has also absorbed these elements in his writing, achieving an aesthetic effect with much similarity to the Taoist aesthetics. By the arrangement of words and symbols, use of images, and reliance on intuition, Snyder's poetry often gives the readers a visual or rhythmic impact. The readers have to grasp the poetic meaning by their intuitive power.In Chapter Three, the topic will be further discussed from social and practical perspectives. Snyder has been living and composing in a state of simplicity all his life, and he has spent much time in physical working. As an important part of Taoist ideas, the simplicity, together with the practice of meditation, help Snyder to get the true meanings of nature, life and art. Moreover, the Taoist ideas on the sense of anti-war and praise of female principle also provide Snyder great inspiration for his writing. The poet has grasped the essence of these elements and integrated them in his ecological writings.In the end of the thesis we will get the conclusion that as a great eco-poet setting feet in nature, culture, society, sex and many other fields, Snyder provides us a unique space for eco-poetics. He presents us a new pattern of writing with his creativity, uniqueness, and subversiveness to traditions in both content and style of his poetry. It is the combination of his writing and Taoist elements that makes his idiosyncratic style. His eco-poetry also shows Snyder's views of the co-existence of various cultures. The significance of his poetry proves the fact that literature will have a better development in the cross-cultural context.