| The Water Babies,a fairy tale written by the 19th century writer Charles Kingsley,depicts the story of how children grow up.The story tells how Tom has gone through so many difficulties and finally grows up to be an adult with the help of the fairies after he has accidentally become a water baby.The research on this novel in the academia is mainly done from the perspective of the theory of evolution and ecological criticism,which has become a dominant trend.In The Water Babies,many descriptions express the beautiful environment under water.The thesis attempts to analyze The Water Babies from the perspective of Ecological Ethics,trying to argue that the aim of the writer in creating the story is not just to educate children but to provide moral foundations to protect the environment.The introduction of the thesis surveys the writer’s life experience,the literature review at home and abroad of The Water Babies and ecological ethics.The main body of the thesis consists of three parts.The first part is about the criticism of anthropocentrism in The Water Babies.According to ecological theories,anthropocentrism is the origin of an ecological crisis.The second chapter is about the pursuit of ecological harmony in The Water Babies.The writer,in pursuit of ecological harmony,has shown his call on people to protect the environment.The third chapter is about the ethical revelation that ecological harmony brings in The Water Babies: what kind of ethical norms that human beings should observe in order to achieve ecological harmony-----the moral norms provided for ecology.The conclusion part shows that through the interpretation of The Water Babies from the perspective of ecological ethics,the implied aim of Charles Kingsley in writing The Water Babies is to provide moral foundation to protect the environment. |
