The Dissolution Of Anthropocentrism

Kenneth Grahame,a well-known English writer of children’s literature,is best known for his masterpiece The Wind in the Willows.Published in 1908,The Wind in the Willows is considered the first full-length animal novel in the history of English literature.This novel depicts the idyllic life of animals on the riverbank,where they love one another and cherish the natural environment in which they reside.This thesis aims to explore the non-anthropocentrism in The Wind in the Willows from the perspective of environmental ethics.The introduction briefly provides a brief overview of Kenneth Grahame and The Wind in the Willows,discusses the current research status of the novel at home and abroad,and outlines the theoretical basis of the thesis.Chapter Two challenges the anthropocentric view by critiquing industrial civilization and refuting the notion of human superiority.It argues that humans,like other creatures,are members of the earth’s community of life and are not inherently superior to other living beings.Chapter Three begins with reverence for nature and recognizes the value of animal life,aiming to dispel the concept of natural conquest and the otherness of animals.Nature is not an object of disorderly exploitation by humans,and living beings in nature are not resources for human use and consumption at will.All organisms have the right to survive with their own good and inherent value being recognized.Humans have a responsibility and obligation to the earth’s wildlife.They should establish an attitude of respect for nature and recognize the intrinsic value of nature.Chapter Four focuses on ethical enlightenment from the perspective of harmonious coexistence in The Wind in the Willows.It aims to awaken the feeling of sympathy for all organisms through the advocacy of moral concerns such as compassion and sympathy,which can curb the numbness of human beings in the process of industrialization.After the confession and redemption of the soul,it can awaken human beings’ ecological consciousness.The conclusion is a general summary of the whole thesis,emphasizing that The Wind in the Willows is by no means a simple work of children’s literature.It depicts the story of animals living in harmony with one another and nature,which will inspire readers to establish the concept of loving life and protecting nature through an animal fable.