A Study Of The Ecological Crisis In Let The Great World Spin From The Perspective Of Ecological Criticism

Let the Great World Spin is a vivid panorama of New York.It is written by the Irish writer Colum Mc Cann（1965-）.The novel takes a tightrope walking between the World Trade Center towers as the main line,describes the twin towers and the planes in the sky in detail,which is the metaphor of the “9/11” event,and reveals the hidden ecological crises of the 1970s in many aspects,which foreshadows the “9/11” event.Therefore,it is regarded as one of the “greatest 9/11 novels”,winning the 2009 U.S.National Book Award for fiction and the 2011 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award.This thesis uses the ecological criticism theory to analyze Let the Great World Spin,and the theory framework is based on the French theorist Felix Guattari’s theory of three ecologies.It analyzes the environmental crisis,alienated social relations and characters’ mental dilemma in the three dimensions of natural ecology,social ecology and spiritual ecology,and tries to explore the causes and solutions of those ecological crises.This thesis mainly consists of three parts: introduction,main body and conclusion.The first part is introduction,which is about a brief description of the author Colum Mc Cann and Let the Great World Spin.Then,the development of ecocriticism,the theory of three ecologies put forward by Felix Guattari are briefly introduced.In addition,the literature review,the research purpose and significance of the thesis are introduced and the questions that the thesis wants to explore in depth are proposed.The second part is the main body of this thesis and it contains three chapters.The first chapter is the enumeration of embodiment of ecological crises from three dimensions.The environmental ecological crisis is manifested in the vanishing nature and polluted city environment.The social ecological crisis can be seen from the disorders of the Bronx and alienated interpersonal relationships.The mental ecological crisis is manifested in characters’ identity crisis,faith crisis and mental trauma.The second chapter analyzes the causes of ecological crises.The environmental ecological crisis is caused by the unbalanced economic development.The causes are the accelerated mechanization and the economic stagnation in the United States in 1970s.On one hand,natural environment is threatened by cities and machines.The world is threatened by the reduction of biodiversity and resources crisis;on the other hand,the construction of cities is prevented by the economic crisis and the Bronx is like a huge dump.The social ecological crisis is caused by the expansion of capitalism,which alienates the relationships between man and society,and the relationship between people.The mental crisis is caused by the loss of subjectivity,which is manifested by the debased self-value,loss of faith,and mental problems caused by inner trauma.The third chapter explores the ways out of ecological crises presented in the work.The first is rebuilding the natural equilibrium in the process of economic development.The ecological holistic view should be used to direct the development of economy,respect nature and understand nature.The second is constructing connections.People and society should form a community with a shared future,and people should learn to communicate and understand each other.The last is maintaining balance on the move.The “walk” Mc Cann describes represents characters’ spirit of resistance.It helps them regain the freedom and liberation of heart and overcome their mental crises.The third part is the conclusion of this thesis,which summarizes the ecological crises,causes and solutions presented in the work,and points out the practical significance of the thesis,that is,to guide readers to think deeply about the relationship between environment,society and self in the era of economic globalization and information technology;recognize the integrity and unity of ecology;always maintain a sense of crisis and independence.The development of the whole society should be maintained in a dynamic balance.Individuals should learn to find relative certainty in an uncertain world and to find their place in the spinning world.