Beyond anthropocentrism : environmentalist concerns in contemporary literature

Abstract

Environmental issues have been the major concern in various facets of the modern life of most global citizens as it is detrimental to human life. Such concerns include the global threats like exploitation of resources, pollution and climate change and they are represented prominently as the major themes in contemporary literature; both fiction and non-fiction. Environmentalist concerns in literature are becoming ever more prominent since the start of modern environmental movement in 1960s. This paper aims to explore the historical roots of environmental problems and the history of the conceptualization of different environmental philosophies. It also looks into literary representations that recognized a cultural paradigm shift beyond anthropocentrism; indicating an ecocentric trend in contemporary literature. Anthropocentrism and ecocentrism are two environmental philosophies; both play a determined role in our environmental history as indicated by the move from subjective experience of the wilderness to reflection of the natural environment. This paper also attempts to address the emerging role of ecocentrism within fiction with analysis of some major environmentalist concerns in contemporary English fiction; through discussion on several selected novels in the 21st century centering on the representation of different environmentalist concerns; including David Mitchell’s Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks, Jeanette Winterson’s The Stone Gods and Ian McEwan’s Solar. These works echo the fundamental purpose of ecocriticism to raise awareness about environmentalist concerns.