Woman And Nature: An Ecofeminist Reading Of Orlando

As one of the most important modernist writers of the20thCentury, Virginia Woolf isoften regarded as a feminist writer, with the ecological side of her works being neglected. Thisthesis examines the theme of women and nature in Orlando and discloses the ecofeministconcerns within the theoretical framework of ecofeminism.This thesis examines first the domination of women and nature within patriarchal societyin Orlando, then the correlation between women and nature. It thereafter examines howperspectives from the Other help deconstruct the domination of women and nature. Lastly itanalyzes how harmony is achieved between man and woman as well as man and nature inOrlando in light of ecofeminism. Then it analyzes the similarity of rebellion shared betweenwomen and nature.The study shows that the correlation between women and nature is fundamentallyopposed by Woolf, while the understanding of such correlation can benefit women withgreater freedom, which demonstrates that Woolf is a precursor of the socialist ecofeminism.On the one hand, Orlando’s deconstruction of man/woman dualism by sartorial changescorresponds to the critical view of ecofeminism towards the construciton of gender. On theother hand, Orlando’s close relationship with nature, especially with the oak tree reflectsman’s fundamental connection with nature advocated by ecofeminism, while nature’ssubjectivity and its own voice are also respected.