Ziba Roshanzamir; Leila Baradaran Jamili; Bahman Zarrinjooee
Abstract
Introduction: This research aims to analyze Virginia Woolf (1882-1942)’s Orlando: A Biography (1928) based on environmental narrative, egalitarian philosophy and ecosophy to criticize anthropocentrism. The theoretical framework is mainly based on Arne Naess’s philosophies of egalitarianism ...
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Introduction: This research aims to analyze Virginia Woolf (1882-1942)’s Orlando: A Biography (1928) based on environmental narrative, egalitarian philosophy and ecosophy to criticize anthropocentrism. The theoretical framework is mainly based on Arne Naess’s philosophies of egalitarianism and ecosophy which show how Woolf, through environmental narratives, clarifies the significance of nature and environment. Naess believes that a systematic discipline in terms of philosophical view is essential to develop interconnectedness between humans and nature or ecological system. He assumes that self-realization is linked with ecological awareness, then knowing ecology or ecologism leads to ecosophy. In the novel, Orlando, as the main character, reaches a kind of ecological self-recognition and egalitarian tendency. When she is among gypsies, she is drawn to the eyecatching beauty of nature and she knows that how humans can be attached to nature without pay attention to their anthropocentric interest. The article finally indicates that how all living beings, including humans are respectful and humans are not unique species and must not spoil lands and nature to satisfy their own desires. Background of the Study: This study focuses on Orlando: A Biography and it is framed to investigate the novel by illustrating the environmental narrative through egalitarian philosophy and ecosophy. It also demonstrates that how humans seek the value of life, and their happiness and satisfaction. Virginia Woolf, as a British novelist, in Orlando ponders the various effects of time, from fifteenth century to the turn of the nineteenth century, on nature and environment. Woolf’s fictional character is subjectively a symbol of highlighting the egalitarian culture via environmental narratives. Woolf has utilized the natural world to portray the significance of its trouble created by humans. Therefore, she puts a lot of stress on nature, environment, and non-humans in her works. She can be regarded as a philosopher who has developed egalitarian culture designating respect for all the living beings and she struggles to show the interaction between humans and the earth that should be modified in a better way.Methodology: The present study applies the egalitarian philosophy and ecosophy which are categorized in the theory of ecocriticism. Ecocriticism is an interdisciplinary study that concentrates on common grounds, relationships and affiliations exit between two different fields of study: ecology and literature. Arne Naess who is an eco-philosopher and ecocritic by turning to ecocriticism announces that the relationships between humans and nature can be possible by increasing ecological wisdom and awareness. Naess relies on biospherical egalitarianism that is to consider the environment as an entity that has its right to be safe. He believes that the rights of the environment are as important as human rights. The species’ equality is proposed by Naess. He comes to conclusions that all living beings must live on the planet earth without spoiling one another’s benefits and rights. As a result, this study illustrates how Naess as an ecocritic attempts to modify the interaction of humans, nature, and environment.Conclusion: Orlando is Woolf’s attempt to reveal how nature and environment have the same rights to be kept alive. Woolf uses environmental narrative to show the right place of humans in nature. She criticizes anthropocentrism and challenges the anthropocentric views through her narrative. She thinks that people need the ecological awareness to reach an egalitarian perspective not to hurt nature and environment any longer.
Shokofeh Zorriyeh Habib; Leila Baradaran Jamili; Bahman Zarrinjooee
Abstract
AbstractIntroduction: Role of nature is undoubtedly undeniable in literature. Due to environmental crises, addressing environmental dilemmas in literature is crucial. This research investigates eco-grief and eco-apocalypse in Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom (2010). It is based on the interrelation of ...
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AbstractIntroduction: Role of nature is undoubtedly undeniable in literature. Due to environmental crises, addressing environmental dilemmas in literature is crucial. This research investigates eco-grief and eco-apocalypse in Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom (2010). It is based on the interrelation of natural environment and eco-trauma and by focusing on apocalyptic feeling, it examines Freedom. This novel is a practical work depicted to enlighten humans to save the nature. This interdisciplinary article is relied on the correlation of ecocriticism, trauma, and apocalypse and to do so, Lawrence Buell’s views on eco-apocalypse have been utilized. According to Buell eco-apocalypse is the only master metaphor of the currant age as people have not understood the fact that the environment is under complete destruction and do not realize the seriousness of this crisis. Reflection of eco-grief in Freedom proves that Franzen is endeavoring to alter the attitude of humans towards nature to play an effective role in saving nature. His unity with the natural environment mirrors ecological issues in Freedom. Franzen informs and convinces humans to save the creatures that are unable to save themselves. Background of the Study: This study intends to show Franzen’s eco-traumatic and eco-apocalyptic views. Franzen (1959- ) is one of eco-aware American novelists and essayists whose attentiveness for the environment has been reflected in his life and works. He devoted his time to birds and their life. By publishing Purity in 2015 and Crossroads: A Novel in 2021, he highlighted his name as a great author who portrays family life. Franzen is known for the vividness of characters with breadth of social insight. He has been introduced to a new universe by birdwatching and manifesting the importance of natural surroundings. Methodology: This research applies an interdisciplinary approach that integrate ecocriticism, trauma, and apocalypse. The discussions will be conducted around eco-trauma, that according to Narine Anil, encompasses traumas that humans impose to nature or vice versa, the harms and traumas that are inflicted to humans by nature. Human beings have stood at a critical period in which the use of technology has resulted in possibility of human extinction and catastrophic end of the environment. By using a qualitative approach based on theory, this article will focus on ecocriticism as its core building block. Although the risk of catastrophe is not so high, people should act consciously to change their behavior toward nature to avert calamity as the disaster will result in traumatic condition for human beings’ psyche. Humans should take sufficient action to ameliorate the condition of the environment to improve human psyche; those, who are traumatized due to environmental crisis, try to help the nature to restore itself. Hence, Franzen reflects his concern for such an environment in the postmodern apocalyptic worldConclusion: Franzen expands human’s knowledge of the surrounding world in Freedom by representing eco-trauma and sense of ending. Ongoing environmental problems have turned the nature into an apocalyptic end and Franzen gets human’s attention to the traumatic ecological apocalypse. He hints at the capacity of the earth to recover from its ecological trauma and grief due to apocalyptic end of the benevolent nature. Franzen investigates the role of nature in causing anxiety due to the catastrophic state of the nature; however, he is careful to explore this role in rehabilitating the ecological grief in humans. He portrays a hopeful future for the environment and humans’ awakening for taking care of it, and suggests that humans can take refuge in the nature to heal their own traumatic wounds.