Human ecology in literature

Zora Neale Hurston is recognized as an important American literary figure,
but the majority of her fiction is overshadowed by the critical attention given to her
most popular novel, Their Eyes Were Watching God. Just as her short stories remain
relatively ignored by critics, little is written about her thoughts regarding nature and
the human relationship with the natural environment. This thesis draws upon the
recent growth of ecocriticism and ecofeminist literary criticism in an attempt to
interpret Hurston's environmental thought as manifested in three of her early short
stories, "John Redding Goes to Sea," "Magnolia Flower," and "Sweat." In this study,
I show that even in her early short stories, Hurston's fiction is ripe with imagery and
narrative that blend the natural with the cultural while effectively illustrating and
engaging the interconnectedness between social inequality and environmental
degradation in the South.

Linda Hogan's Power and Gregory Maguire's Wicked are two works of literature
that encompass a process of raising and transforming consciousness about humans'
relationships with each other and with the Earth and elemental energies. Both can be
considered prayers to and for the world. The goal of this thesis is to highlight and explore
themes of spirituality, ecofeminism, environmental justice, anti-colonialism, indigenous
philosophies regarding sense of place, human and animal rights, and feminist critical
theories of race and gender through the artistic, creative and powerful writing of these
authors. These works both reflect and participate in ongoing processes of political and
spiritual change away from patriarchal, Eurocentric and imperial culture. By applying
concepts including F. Marina Schauffler's "Ecological Conversion" and Gloria
Anzaldua's "Mestiza Consciousness," I will show how the novels' characters, though
very differently, encompass these transformations of consciousness.

An examination of ecocomposition reveals that despite being careful to embrace
all humans, it is still operating from a heterononnative standpoint. This perspective has
led to an exclusion of gay male writers from its place-based approach to the study of the
production of writing. By including the work of gay nature writer James Schuyler, the
boundaries of ecocomposition are expanded to include yet another way of moving
beyond restrictive cultural dualisms. Schuyler's work shows that definitions of
masculinity need to be expanded to include gay males, and also highlights how sexual
identity and setting interact to produce various interpretations of the self in one's writing.
An expansion of ecocomposition results in a truly liberatory theory and pedagogy, one
that encourages interactions that promote of all kinds of writing by all kinds of writers.

This project focuses on the natural elements earth and water as presented in the works of African American author Toni Morrison. The primary texts analyzed are Sula, Song of Solomon, and Beloved. In the first two novels, Morrison alludes to the abuse of black bodies by drawing parallels between the destruction of trees and the negative effects of urbanization. I argue that environmental destruction and urbanization parallels the disenfranchisement and killing of black bodies. Water in Beloved connotes bondage because of its historical link to the Triangular Trade. However, considering Morrison's frequent mention of water and the fugitives' constant need to drink, I argue that ingesting water symbolizes a need for psychological freedom. All of the novels that I have analyzed emphasize the complex connections between African Americans and nature.