Ecocritical Readings of Contemporary Indian Novels

Abstract

Ecocriticism is the study of environment and literature in different perspectives, where literary critics evaluate the texts which exemplify the environmental issues. “Ecofriendly,” “Eco-consciousness,” and “Go Green” are some of the trending catchphrases for nearly a couple of decades. Unexpected natural calamities due to climate change, global warming, and pollution are the marked reason for the people’s concern about environmental issues. Recently, almost all the disciplines are tagged with “eco.” The word is derived from the Greek “oikos,” meaning house. The etymology of ecology defines “Ökologie” as “the study of a dwelling place,” where the study is not limited to science. Glotfelty defines ecocriticism as “the study of the relationship between environment and literature,” and William Rueckert (ibid.) expounds it as “application of ecology and ecological concepts to the study of literature.” Even after three decades, ecocriticism is still an expandable field. Unconfined by boundaries, the umbrella term “Ecocriticism” ramifies into Ecofeminism, Eco-Marxism, Deep Ecology, Ecosophy, Bioregionalism, and so on. The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology elaborates on the theory’s evolution, scope, and facets. Ecocriticism is considered an introductory text book.