Nature,Human And Harmony

Annie Dillard is a well-known American writer,and especially famous for her nature writing--Pilgrim at Tinker Creek,which was finished in 1974,and won 1975 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction.Pilgrim at Tinker Creek is told from a first-person point of view,and the book details an unnamed narrator's(Dillard's)explorations near her home,and various contemplation on nature and life.It records Dillard's thoughts on solitude,writing and religion,as well as scientific observations on the flora and fauna she encounters.Touching upon themes of faith,nature,and awareness,Pilgrim at Tinker Creek has become a good model book for ecocriticism.In modern society,high technology has been fully developed and employed,and industries have been flourishing,which,on one hand,help people live happier,while,on the other,they do damage to nature to some extent and finally the ecological balance will be influenced.Under such circumstances,studies on literature from the perspective of ecocriticism become necessary and urgent,which can arouse people's ecological consciousness,promote people to reflect on themselves to avoid unreasonable development at expanse of ecological resources and even help people find a way to coexist with nature harmoniously and peacefully.Aside from the beginning part of Introduction and the final part of Conclusion,this thesis consists of three chapters.Introduction introduces the author Annie Dillard and her literary creation,and previous studies on Pilgrim at Tinker Creek.Besides,it gives a detailed generalization of the source and development of ecocriticism.Chapter One explores Dillard's view of nature reflected in this book.Dillard observes nature and contemplates nature from different perspectives,but it is obvious that in each chapter,nature is a mixed existence with beauty and cruelty.In some chapters,beauty is emphasized,while in others,cruelty is highlighted.It can be seen that Dillard has a dualistic view towards nature,and this view is deeply influenced by her interest in Emerson and Thoreau,who are representatives of transcendentalism,while it is also shaped by the social background and her life experience.Chapter Two probes into Dillard's viewpoints of people's spiritual ecology,which is a subject that studies the relationship between spiritually existent subject(mainly referring to human beings)and his living environment(including natural environment,social environment and cultural environment).This book displays Dillard's thoughts of anti-anthropocentism and respect for nature and shows her view of poetic thinking and poetic dwelling.All of these are a part of spiritual ecology.Chapter Three analyzes her methods to realize the harmonious relationship between human beings and nature,which can be regarded as a three-step strategy.The first step is to return to nature,to know more about nature and to realize the intrinsic values of nature.The second step is to integrate with nature and to consider human beings as a part of the whole ecological system.The final step is to feel nature and to transform from ego-consciousness to eco-consciousness.Conclusion gives an overview of this thesis' arguments and presents the realistic meaning of this study.With the background of ecological deterioration and out-of-balance,people should reflect on themselves and get along with nature harmoniously and sustainably with ecological consciousness.