Transformational poetry: Ecofeminism in Jeffers, Snyder, Rich and Coleman (Robinson Jeffers, Gary Snyder, Adrienne Rich, Wanda Coleman)

This is a dissertation about the relationship between nature and humanity, inspired by developments within the theory of ecofeminism, a discipline interested in cultural thought which includes diverse and interrelated influences drawn upon by social, environmental, cultural, and philosophical theorists. This project is limited to the study of four California poets---Robinson Jeffers, Gary Snyder, Adrienne Rich, and Wanda Coleman---whose work wrestles with fixed assumptions about nature and culture.; The approach aims at developing new ways of understanding our world and learning that human beings must move beyond their own "transcendent" selves to see the world in a multitudinous, shifting contextual space, full of agents, both human and nonhuman. In addition, the study focuses on two other spaces: the space of subjectivity (self versus other, human versus nature, man versus woman, etc.) and the space of language (physical world versus articulated world). Much of ecofeminist criticism centers on these dichotomoties and the epistemological question of voice---who or what speaks.; Robinson Jeffers, whose poetry solicits intense analysis of man's involvement in and with nature, may not be considered a contemporary ecofeminist; however, he does offer early indications of ecofeminist praxis. Gary Snyder also pays close attention to the value of nature and develops Jeffers's early ecofeminism into a more refined ecopoetic philosophy. Adrienne Rich fosters a keener ecofeminist aesthetic in her poems that move beyond nature to detail Otherness. Her diverse topics, including women, Jews, lesbians, and other marginalized groups, point to an ecofeminism that refines Jeffers and Snyder's earlier focus and calls attention to the importance of ethics in culture. Finally, the contemporary poet, Wanda Coleman, builds ecofeminist aesthetics into her poetry using race, gender, and class as sites of resignation, indignation, and transformation.; Ultimately, these poets resist generalization, challenge myths, reimagine the world, and create new metaphors and insights into seeing our world in a more conscious, interactive way. Their scrutiny is their power to subvert stereotypes and foster open-mindedness, a simple defense that cultivates democracy and protects against unflinching order.