The Ecological Interpretation Of Doris Lessing's Mara And Dann: An Adventure

With the worsening of environmental crisis, since 1970s, ecocriticism has become a very important approach of literature studies. It is mainly the study of the relationship between literature and the physical environment.Doris May Lessing is a British writer who won the Nobel Prize in literature in 2007. She is a prolific writer. Her works include novels, dramas, operas, poetry, story collections, non-fictions, autobiography etc.. In 1999, her ecological and allegorical novel,Mara and Dann:An Adventure, was published. The novel embodies her eco-consciousness.In this thesis, I intend to interpret Mara and Dann:An Adventure from the perspective of ecocriticism in order to warn readers of the environmental crisis in contemporary era, to arouse their eco-consciousness, and to deepen and broaden their understanding and appreciation of the novel.The thesis contains six parts:the Introduction deals with the research background and purpose, such as Lessing's life and works, the content of the novel,in order to help readers understand the following analysis. Chapter One is the theoretical basis of the thesis, introducing ecocriticism and the related viewpoints adopted in this thesis. Chapter Two, Chapter Three and Chapter Four are the main body, trying to apply the ecocritic theories to explain and interpret this novel.Chapter Two discusses Environmental Apocalypscism and Mara and Dann:An adventure as an environmental apocalypticist novel.Chapter Three discusses the future consequences of ecocrisis in Mara and Dann:An Adventure, which reflects Lessing's attitude to humans'exploitation of nature, her attitude towards nature and civilization and her reflection on the relationship between science, technology and nature. Chapter Four analyzes the novel from three aspects:natural ecology, social ecology and spiritual ecology, which also reflects Lessing's eco-consciousness.The Conclusion argues that Doris Lessing is a great writer who understands the complex relationship between man and nature and who believes that the destruction of natural world must doom human beings. In this environmental apocalypticist novel, Lessing shows her ecological consciousness and presents her worry about nature and human beings'fate. The study of the novel from the ecological perspective reveals that the work is significantly suggestive to the contemporary people and their current social practice.