Where Pennyroyal Grew

The Country of the Pointed Firs is one of the most celebrated novels of Sarah Orne Jewett, an outstanding woman of letters in the gallery of American literature. Recently this novel has become a canon and has been studied from diversified aspects.This thesis attempts to interpret The Country of the Pointed Firs from the ecofeminist perspective by analyzing the text in detail to show that Sarah Orne Jewett in this novel constructs a woman Utopia where man and woman, man and nature live peacefully and harmoniously. Ecofeminism, a movement with the joint efforts of Deep Ecology and Feminism, articulates the theory that the oppression of women and the exploitation and degradation of nature are interrelated. Its application to literary writing and criticism appeals to many writers and critics who are concerned about the coexistence of human and nature as well as the equality between men and women.This essay consists of five parts: the introduction, three main chapters and conclusion.In the introduction, a brief survey of Sarah Orne Jewett and her works are made. The current studies of The Country of the Pointed Firs are also discussed. Also the significance and innovation of this thesis are illustrated.Chapter two is the theoretical foundation of the whole analysis. Ecofeminism a movement and theory and Jewett's ecological consciousness are both discussed in detail. Chapter three is the most important part of this thesis, in which a thorough textual analysis from the ecofeminist approach is conducted. The characters, settings and plot are discussed respectively.Chapter four mainly focuses on the unique techniques in this novel embodying the ecofeminist ethics.In the conclusion, a summary is made about the research and the theme of this essay will be restated. That is Sarah who presents the ecofeminist ideas perfectly in this novel constructs a woman utopia where man and nature, woman and man live harmoniously.