Ecological Consciousness In Edward Albee’s Plays In Later Period

Edward Albee(1928-) is frequently listed alongside Eugene O’Neil, Tennessee Williams, and Arthur Miller as one of American’s greatest dramatists of the twentieth century who may be called the most controversial playwright in the history of American plays. Based on the ecological analysis of Edward Albee’s Seascape(1975), and The Goat or, Who’s Sylvia?(2002), this thesis tries to investigate the natural ecology, social ecology and spiritual ecology embedded in the two plays and then find out Albee’s way to deal with ecological problems and reveal Albee’s pursuit of harmony among human/animal/nature. What’s more, what the thesis tries to prove that theater as a traditional absence of ecological discourse also can be an immediate, communal and material medium for provoking ecological consciousness corresponding to ecocritics’ claim.This thesis is divided into three parts. The first part gives a brief introduction to the author, his writings, research methods and the criticism on Albee’s plays, in terms of its development and main ideas with some key notions that will be applied in the following chapters. Introduction also investigates the fruits the previous critics have gained in the past Albee studies and how critics conventionally apply an anthropocentric analytic approach to dramatic studies and hence ignore the ecological concern implicit in the Albee’s plays.The second part is divided into three chapters, each of which represents natural ecology, social ecology and spiritual ecology respectively by picking up the concrete examples from the text. The first chapter deals with the natural ecology including the relationship of human and non-human and the affinity between human and nature. Albee is adept in introducing animal images in his dramas, such as the lizard couple in Seascape, the goat in The Goat, or Who’s Slyvia?. Through the experience of confronting the nonhuman others, humans have the chance to re-evaluate their present condition. Lizards are symbolically described as a reminder of the old passionate and vibrant self while the goat is depicted as a radical regression to nature. Charlie’s diving experience shows the contrast between his departed intimacy with nature and the embarrassing alienation. The potentially ominous and absurd architectural project— World City marks Martin as a steel and concrete creator and modern-day alchemist which intrigues him longing for a utopic “ideal country place” to a higher degree.Chapter two focuses on the political and economic activities of human society by picking up three typical products of human civilizations in Seascape: the recurrent bird-like jet plane as a natural interloper to the natural scenery, the English language and the embodied language as an appropriate means of realizing human/nonhuman interconnection, and the evolution as a beneficial discussion to recognize the multiplicity and heterogeneity both physiologically and psychologically.The ecological crisis doesn’t only appear in the natural world, but also in the realm of spirit. Chapter three concerns the spiritual ecology which Albee is adept at integrating the ecological consciousness with his familiar familial plays. The first part is “vegetable” Charlie’s self-exploration with assistance of nature-loving “animal” Nancy in Seascape which ends up with the promising “begin”. The latter part is the desperate Martin’s self-redemption with his wife, Sylvia in the heart, his gay son, the life-long friend Ross and the so-called partners in the peculiar therapy session which all failed in the end.Finally, the conclusion is drawn that through the analysis of natural ecology, social ecology and spiritual ecology, we can see Albee’s ecological thoughts — to keep an “aesthetic distance” and to establish a harmonious relationship among human, nonhuman and nature. Besides, through the ecocritical study of Albee found that he is not only a prominent dramatist of daring vision that challenges readers, but also a dramatist with strong sense of social responsibility and concern for the future and destiny of human beings.