Abstract
Nature and literature have always shared a close relationship as is evidenced in the works of poets and other writers down the ages in almost all cultures of the world. This paper examines how the concern for nature changes in Indian literature from reverence to destruction. It traces the development of ecocriticism as a literary theory and applies it to several Indian English novels, including Raja Rao’s Kanthapura, R.K. Narayan’s Malgudi novels, Bhabani Bhattacharya’s So Many Hungers, Kamala Markandya’s Nectar in a Sieve, Ruskin Bond’s works, Anita Desai’s novels, Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss, and Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide. The paper argues that ecocriticism shifts critical focus from social relations toward natural relationships and views the individual as a member of ecosystem.
Keywords: ecocriticism, Indian fiction, ecology, nature writing, environment, postcolonialism
Introduction
Nature and literature have always shared a close relationship as is evidenced in the works of poets and other writers down the ages in almost all cultures of the world. Today the intimate relationship between the natural and social world is being analyzed and emphasized in all departments of knowledge and development. India is a country with variety of ecosystems which ranges from Himalayas in the north to plateaus of south and from the dynamic Sunderbans in the east to dry Thar of the West. With time, however, these ecosystems have been adversely affected due to increasing population and avarice of mankind.
The word “ecocriticism” first appeared in William Rueckert’s essay “Literature and Ecology: An Experiment in Ecocriticism” in 1978. Yet apparently it remained inactive in critical vocabulary until the 1989 Western Literature Association meeting, when Cheryll Glotfelty not only received the term but worked for its use in the critical field.
Ecocriticism as Literary Theory
Ecocriticism has come to mean not only the application of ecology and ecological principles to the study of literature, but also the theoretical approach to the interrelational web of natural cultural and supernatural phenomena. Since literature has always conditioned our philosophical understanding of nature, of environment, even the aesthetic categories by which our feelings for nature are understood have been defined largely in their use in literary and critical contexts.
Nature in Early Indian English Fiction
When history is examined we find Raja Rao as one of the most prominent writers of Indian English novels. His depiction of the South Indian village culture and environmental setting is a true depiction of relationship between man and nature. In his novel Kanthapura he has shown how rivers and mountains play an important role in people’s lives.
R.K. Narayan wrote in the same decade and has given life to a place, Malgudi, or it can be said that he has developed a place as a character. Professor Iyenger rightly advocates the theory that Malgudi is the real “hero” of ten novels and the many short stories of Narayan. The Malgudi novels and short stories are strongly imbued with what D.H. Lawrence has called “the spirit of place.”
Nature’s Destructive Power in Indian Fiction
Nature has always proved to be stronger than man. The effect of one such natural calamity on the humanity can be seen in Bhabani Bhattacharya’s So Many Hungers. In this novel we see the true picture of Bengal famine of 1943 in which at least 3,000,000 Indians died of starvation.
Kamala Markandya in her novel Nectar in a Sieve has very well described the control of nature over human beings. She writes “Nature is like a wild animal that you have trained to work for you. So long as you are vigilant and walk warily with thought and care, so long will it give you its aid; but look away for an instant, be heedless and forgetful, and it has you by the throat.”
Ruskin Bond and Environmental Concern
There is one writer whose works show ecology not only as an important or dominant theme, but there is also concern for natural depletion that is taking place. We are talking of Ruskin Bond. The natural scenic hills of Dehradun and Mussoorie almost invariably form the setting of his works and reflect his ardent faith in the healing powers of nature.
Anita Desai’s Nature Imagery
In Anita Desai’s work we see the dominance of nature images which act as important part of theme. Known in Indian-English fiction for ushering in the psychological novel, Desai uses external landscapes to portray interior states of mind. In Cry, the Peacock, the complexities of Maya’s inner life is effectively brought out through the landscape.
Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss
Kiran Desai’s The Inheritance of Loss straddles across continents, mapping the contours of the ethno-racial and historical relationship between people from different cultures and backgrounds. Her novel is rich with ecocritical references and among the recent fictions it can be most aptly given an ecocritical reading.
Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide
The novel which has been equally accepted by all the ecocritics, without giving rise to any objection in calling it a fiction with an ecocritical approach, is Amitav Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide. The book is about one of the most dynamic ecological systems of the world. It takes us to the Sunderbans and the hundreds of islands found and lost in a short span of time. Ghosh in this novel tries to show the vastness and terror of the nature which is responsible for life on the earth.
Conclusion
To sum up, as a distinctive approach to the practice of literary criticism, ecocriticism gives increased attention to literary representatives of nature and is sensitive to interdependencies that ground the author, character or work in the natural system. This approach shifts critical focus from social relations toward natural relationships and views the individual as a member of ecosystem.
Works Cited
- P.D. Sharma, Ecology and Environment, Meerut: Rastogi Publications, page 1 and 2.
- Jean Arnold, Introduction to Ecocriticism, google.com, ASLE.
- Dr. Mark C. Long, OSLE India, Newsletter no. 8, page 3.
- Arthur Lovejoy, Ecocriticism: the Nature of Nature in Literary Theory and Practice.
- Raja Rao, Kanthapura, Oxford University Press, New Delhi, second edition, page 1 and 2.
- G.C. Saxena, R.K. Narayan — The English Teacher, Laxmi Narayan Agarwal, Agra, page 26.
- Bhabani Bhattacharya, So Many Hungers, google.com.
- R.C. Prasad and J.P. Singh, An Anthology of Indian English Prose; The Flood, Motilal Baarsi Das, New Delhi, first edition, page 109.
- Rachel Azima, Google, Ecocriticism in V.S. Naipaul’s novels.
- Kiran Desai, The Inheritance of Loss, Penguin Books, New Delhi, page 38 and 39.