An Analysis Of Gaskell's North And South From The Perspective Of Ecological Criticism

As a Victorian realistic novelist,Elizabeth Gaskell shows her deep concern and sympathy both to the working class and women of her time.The novel selected in this thesis,North and South,is Gaskell's second social-industrial novel in which the detailed descriptions of,in-depth observations on and profound thoughts about the British industrial society have given the work a strong realistic color.Since the nineteenth century,the industrialization in Britain has not only accelerated the innovation of science and technology and the accumulation of wealth,but also intensified the conflicts such as the deterioration of the environment,class conflicts and gender discrimination.Gaskell's industrial novel North and South exposes these realistic problems,and also reflects Gaskell's appeal for constructing the ecological harmony.As a social-industrial novel,the early ecological ideas contained in North and South are of great practical significance for awakening people's consciousness of ecological awareness.Under the guidance of Aldo Leopold's ecological holism and Karen Warren's eco-feminism,the author of this thesis conducts her detailed study on Gaskell's ecological thoughts which are revealed from the three dimensions of ecological harmony,social harmony and spiritual harmony.This thesis is divided into six parts.Starting with a brief introduction to Elizabeth Gaskell and her works,the first chapter states the theoretical and practical significance of this research.Following the studies of literature review both abroad and at home,the second chapter presents the theoretical frame work of thesis,according to which the research is conducted under the guidance of ecological holism and eco-feminism.With respect to the dimension of natural ecology,the third chapter examines the relationship between man and nature.The fourth chapter aims to explore the harmony of social ecology which is an integral part of the earth's ecology.The fifth chapter involves the pursuit of spiritual harmony with the help of exploring the spiritual world of characters.In fact every character has their own inner struggle,which can be a barrier on the way to self-fulfillment.The last chapter is a comprehensive summary of this thesis,which summarizes the thoughts of Gaskell from the perspective of ecological criticism,and presents her idea of reconstructing a harmonious world among nature,humans and inner self.In a word,this thesis mainly scrutinizes Gaskell's ecological thoughts in North and South such as her love for nature,her worries about pollution and her desire for harmony.The author deeply explores Gaskell's worries about the unbalanced relationship between human and nature,her dissatisfaction with the industrially polluted environment,and her desire for the harmonious coexistence between man and nature.It stresses that people could build a harmonious natural ecology through eliminating the dualism about man and nature,a harmonious social ecology through mutual understanding and communication,and a harmonious spiritual ecology through self-awareness and objective reflection.It finally concludes that only by eliminating the tensions in labor-capital relations and gender issues can people reconstruct a harmonious system of ecology.