The Poetic Return Of Ecocriticism

Ecological deterioration has won the attention of literary writers sincethe1960s. For half a century, ecoliterary creation and research which aimto represent man-environment relations and the calling for environmentalprotection have swept a green wind in the academia. Previous studies onecoliterary thoughts are the mainstream in domestic ecocriticism whilethere lacks sufficient research on the aesthetic aspects in ecoliterature. Itwas not until the new century that the ecoliterary aesthetics received its dueattention. Those ecoliterary works do more than simply impress readers asthe “megaphone” of ecological ideas. They are an integration of ecoliterarythoughts and aesthetics. This thesis attempts to promote the aesthetic studyof ecocriticism. Using Coleridge’s theory of imagination, the thesis pointsout that there are two types of imagination with different values in theecoliterary works guided by the ecological holism. The description ofnature and its relationship with man reflects the eco-holistic imagination ina positive sense while that of the man-made environment and itsrelationship with man shows the anthropocentric imagination that isopposed to the ecological holism. The two types of ecoliterary imaginationconfirm the importance and necessity of ecological holism, serve as thebasis for the literary ideals aimed at “poetic dwelling”, and give theecological poetry to the wilderness and place.“Place” has always been one of the objects for ecoliterary representation. Through the description of“place,” ecoliterature reflects the eco-holistic thoughts and offers usefulguidance to the “poetic dwelling” in the era of globalization. In order for theguidance to work, ecoliterary writers should possess the sense of “place”and make some necessary interpretations so as to arouse readers’awarenessof this sense of “place.” The thesis ends with an exploration of the narrativestrategies for environmental imagination in ecoliterature, i.e. the conversionof narrative angles, the use of personification and the description of seasons.