A Study Of The Theme Of Environmental Justice In American Environmental Literature

Environmental literature is a literary trend that investigates the human-nature relationship in the traditional literary forms of fiction, non-fiction, poetry and drama. With the hallmarks of imparting ecological ideas, environmental morality, and environmental aesthetic orientation, environmental literature incorporates the elements of literature, ecology, environmental ethics, and environmental aesthetics.American environmental literature has grown rapidly since its emergence in the middle of the nineteenth century. However, environmental criticism did not appear in the United States until 1970s. The research on American environmental literature abroad and at home is now gaining its strength, so critical attention paid to its theme of environmental justice is inadequate. This dissertation is intended for a holistic examination of the theme of environmental justice in American environmental literature rather than an analysis of the theme in a single environmental text or that expressed by a certain American environmental writer.Based on Marxist philosophy, ecology, environmental ethics, and environmental aesthetics, the study unfolds the theme of environmental justice by close examination of American environmental texts from the middle of the nineteenth century to the present.This dissertation is composed of three parts: the introduction, the body and the conclusion.The introductory part presents a literature review, the theoretical and practical significance of the study, the methodology to carry out the study, and the structure of the whole dissertation. The body of the dissertation includes four chapters.Chapter 1 analyzes the theme of environmental justice in American environmental literature in terms of its social background and ideas of various sources pertaining to this theme. The industrialization process of America is so unreasonably speedy that it has become a kind of destructive force to the natural environment of the country. It has not only led to the so-called environmental crisis, but also large-scale environmental movements, forming the social background for the emergence of American environmental literature with environmental justice being its central theme from the very start. In addition, the theme of environmental justice in American environmental literature has owed much to the western tradition of pursuing justice, the Christian idea for man to look after nature at God's will, the demand of the Indians and easterners to urge man to fear nature, and the ecological wisdom of modern ecology, environmental ethics, environmental aesthetics, environmental sociology, etc. to pursue harmony between man and nature.Chapter 2 probes into the role of the theme of environmental justice in American environmental literature. American environmental literature is marked by the ideas of praising natural beauty, disclosing environmental crisis, encouraging environmental protection, and advocating environmental justice. Environmental justice is the most important theme implied in American environmental literature.Chapter 3 offers reflections on the theme of environmental justice in American environmental literature to uncover its implications. The theme of environmental justice has two implications, namely, the environmental justice between man and nature and that between man and man. The former urges man to change his traditional ways of production and living, marked by greedy exploitation of nature, into new ways of production and living, characterized by ideas of loving nature, respecting nature, protecting nature, and living in harmony with nature; whereas the latter encourages man to shoulder the moral responsibility of environmental protection while enjoying the right of using natural resources. It is in this sense that the themes of intra-generational and inter-generational environmental justice come to light in American environmental literature.Chapter 4 focuses on the artistic skills employed by American environmental writers to highlight the theme of environmental justice. Undoubtedly, different American writers would like to individualize their artistic skills, but they are sure to have something in common. It seems that most American environmental writers share the following three artistic devices: to choose the mode of thematic literature, which adds to the educational function and the poetic thought of American environmental literature; to use a persuasive narrative approach, which serves as an effective means to forge new views of the world among readers in minute and subtle ways; and to combine literary discourse, ecological discourse, ethical discourse, aesthetic discourse, etc. in environmental texts, which helps to influence and alter readers' perception of the environment without losing artistic integrity.The conclusion gives a summary of the whole dissertation, emphasizing that the theme of environmental justice has come hand in hand with American environmental literature, that the study of the theme has proved to be the best way to probe into American environmental literature, that the advocacy of the theme has represented one of the most remarkable contributions made by American environmental writers to the development of the world's literature, and that the study of the theme is of both theoretical and practical significance.