ECOPOETICS AND ECOCRITICISM AS NEW DIRECTIONS IN MODERN LITERARY STUDIES
Abstract
This article examines ecopoetics and ecocriticism, which emerged in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries, as sustainable and promising fields of contemporary literary criticism. The study analyzes the works Winter and Summer, the epic poem Bilgamish, the spring hymn in Kutadgu Bilig, the legend of Ku Tau, the Jataka tales, and the relationship between humans and nature in the epic poem Sabai Sayyor, as well as the poetic function of the image of nature. Based on the analysis of literary texts, the author’s mastery in creating images of nature, the meanings embedded in these works, and the essence of nature-related images, motifs, and ideas are examined within the context of different literary periods. The study also considers poetic devices used in representing nature, including such artistic techniques as metaphor, epithet, and symbol. The analysis of the figurative system reveals the role of nature imagery in expressing the content and the main idea of literary works. In literary texts, nature sometimes functions as a setting in which events unfold, while at other times it acts as an important artistic element that reflects the emotional state of the protagonist, foreshadows future events, and conveys specific ideas. The thematic analysis of the works makes it possible to identify key motifs related to the relationship between humans and nature. Through contextual analysis, the works are examined in connection with the historical period and the social and environmental conditions of their creation. As a result, the function of the image of nature and the author’s attitude toward it are revealed, as well as the ways in which artistic interpretations of nature vary across different literary contexts. Within the frameworks of ecopoetics and ecocriticism, literary works are comprehensively analyzed on the basis of imagery, motifs, themes, and context. Ecocriticism explores the relationship between literature and ecology, examining environmental issues through the lens of literary ideas and content, whereas ecopoetics focuses on artistic methods of representing the image of nature. Ecocriticism critically evaluates the relationship between humans and nature through the interdisciplinary integration of ecology, cultural studies, and philosophy, while ecopoetics adopts an artistic and aesthetic approach based on the analysis of poetics, stylistics, and literary form.
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