The Connotation Of Environmental Apocalypticism In Atwood's Novel Oryx And Crake

This thesis, employing the environmental apocalyptic literature approach, one of the perspectives of eco-criticism, to interpret the novel Oryx and Crake, which is written by the famous Canadian woman writer Margaret Atwood, excavates the connotation of environmental apocalypticism in it and evaluates the literary value and practical social significance of this creation.This thesis consists of five parts, including the introduction and conclusion. The introduction, firstly, defines the concept of the literary form, environmental apocalypticism, and the eco-critical approach of environmental apocalypticism research. Secondly, it summarizes previous interpretations of Atwood's works and points out their deficiency, that is, most researches analyze her works from the angle of feminism or literary narrative strategy or creative technique. Though there are some comments from the ecological perspective, few researches into Oryx and Crake have been made. This is what this thesis is about to study, especially from the perspective of environmental apocalypticism. Lastly, the introduction expounds the innovation and significance of this thesis.Chapter One puts emphasis on the explanation of the connotation of the environmental apocalypticism. The first section expounds the development and features of apocalypticism, pointing out that as a kind of literary form, apocalypticism aims to highlight the consciousness of crisis and to warn the world of dangers by imagining and displaying prophetic disasters. This warning role of apocalyptic literature is becoming more and more prominent in the period of ecological crisis when the environment suffers severe destruction. The second section explains the concept of environmental apocalyptic literature, the combination of apocalyptic literature and environmental motif, and its connotation, with the latter involving two aspects: showing the environmental disastrous scenes in the future and perceiving environmental crisis. Meanwhile this part stresses the important role of the urgent consciousness of crisis in avoiding environmental apocalyptic dénouement. The third section expounds that the creation and content of Oryx and Crake deeply reflect the connotation of environmental apocalypticism, so it is a typical work of environmental apocalypticism literature and it is feasible to interpret this work from the perspective of environmental apocalypticism literature criticism.Chapter Two and Three interpret the novel Oryx and Crake from the two aspects of the connotation of environmental apocalypticism, excavating the connotation of environmental apocalypticism in it. Chapter Two analyzes environmental apocalyptic images in the text from the following aspects: the consequences of evil desires, the absurdity of technology especially the genetic engineering, the crazy economy and chaotic politics, and the thorny problem of overpopulation, showing that the text displays the environmental disasters in the future in the form of warning. The first section of Chapter Three expounds that Atwood, as a modern Cassandra, expresses her environmental apocalyptic intention through her creations, giving detailed explanation with some actual examples, such as Atwood and Monkey-Wrench-Gang in the real world as well as Jimmy's mother, Crake's father and Crake himself in the fabricated world in the text. The second section expounds the approaches Atwood uses to give environmental apocalyptic warning, that is, to inspire the consciousness of environmental crisis in readers'minds through the absolutely authoritative warning, the magnification of the scale of crisis and the juxtaposition of time-space. The third section explains the ideological foundations of the consciousness of environmental crisis mainly from two aspects—ecological holism and biotic egalitarianism.Atwood, based on her great concern about the practical environmental problems, created Oryx and Crake, which has become a representative of contemporary environmental apocalypticism. From the concrete embodiment of the connotation of environmental apocalypticism in the text, it can be seen that the one-sided emphasis on the positive effects of technology and the"development"of human civilization simply through technology without considering the ecological integrity will cause irredeemable environmental disasters. Environmental apocalypticism literature can inspire and strengthen readers'consciousness of environmental crisis. It can play a tremendous role in the process of protecting ecological environment and promoting the harmonious development of nature and mankind at a time when the environment is getting worse.