Study Of The American Ecoliterary Writer Edward Abbey

Ecological problem has became an unavoidable problem of human beings since the mid 20th century. What's wrong with the evolution of civilization which caused the severe ecocrisis? What's the relationship between the nature and human being? How can we change such circumstance? Edward Abbey, the American ecoliterary writer answered these questions in his writings. His legendary life and exciting wrtings are argumentative topics of ecocriticism. Many ecologists follow the lead of his devotion to the wilderness and the desert, his observation and defence of them. Furthermore, his animadverting on developmentalism and his advocating of monkey wrench made him became one of the most important person who had impacted on the world ecological movement.There were many American ecocritics and ideologists had studied Abbey when he was alive. Up to now, more and more readers and ecocritics have been paying attention to his ecological thoughts and ecoliterary writings. Studying on Abbey has became a hot topic. Today, the ecological circumstance has become worse and worse.It's worthwhile studying the thoughts which contained in Abbey's ecoliterature writings more carefully and deeply. We have gotten some achievement in introduction and translation of Abbey's writings in Chinese, but it is still devoid of an entire and elaborate research. My master's thesis is aim at filling up the blank. I'm looking forward to showing a clearer, fuller and realer Abbey to readers. Maybe it will be a little contribution to our ecoliterary study.This dissertation is composed of two parts. Part one is a detail introduction of Abbey's life and writings while the other is a deep analysis of his ecological thoughts.I tried my best to emphasize on the important affairs, which had deeply infected Abbey's ecological thoughts and ecoliterary writings as well as to track his legendary life. Abbey's writings are introduced in an order of time, I stressed on his three important ecoliterary writings. They are Desert Solitaire, The Monkey Wrench Gang and Hayduke Lives!.The second part is divided into three chapters. The first is his pondering on the relationship between the nature and human beings; the second is his animadverting on developmentalism; the third is his advocating of monkey wrench. Animadversion on developmentalism is Abbey's most important thought, which deeply effected on ecological movement and it can help all the human being with resolving the ecocrisis. Abbey had pointed out over and over again that developmentalism had brought irresolvable disasters to the nature as well as had severely hurt human's body and psychology. Moreover, he figured out that developmentalism had misled people to three delusions: development is unlimited; development is for the advantage of people; development is the aim. Abbey disproved these fallacies one by one. Meantime, as a symbol of developmentalism,the modern machine is Abbey's object of attacking and satire. Monkey wrench is the most argumentative thought of Abbey's. In his view, monkey wrench is rational by itself, and it is an outcome of history. Monkey wrench is essentially different from terrorism. Eco-warriors must strictly follow a doctrine when they are practicing monkey wrench. We should discern the localization and contradiction of monkey wrench as well as affirm its positivity and justice.