Literature has served two roles since antiquity. To some, it is art for art's sake and to others; it is the mirror of contemporary society. Great literature is always built upon these two concepts. Down the ages critics have analyzed several contemporary issues of literary values like Classicism, Neoclassicism, Romanticism, Marxism, Modernism, Postmodernism, Deconstruction, Post-colonialism, and Feminism and so on. But literary studies for a long time did not pay any attention to a serious issue, which is the environmental concern as represented in literature. The world has suffered a lot from global ecological crisis mostly due to human atrocities on nature. So literature cannot turn its face away from this. Towards the end of the previous century, a new area of studying literature came into existence. It is a scholarly approach to studying nature writing which is popularly known as ecocriticism. This environmentally oriented study of literature is also known as Environmental Literary Criticism, Green Studies etc. The present article seeks to explore the several Ecocritical issues as represented in the great nature novel, Aranyak (Of the Forest) by one of the major Bengali novelists named Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay whose works have often been translated into English. The present work will try to investigate how this long prose narrative can lead to the self-realization of a city dweller about his sin of deforestation although he had not any love for forest life in the beginning of the novel. As the novel progresses, we see a gradual change in his attitude to nature. His initial 'ego-consciousness' yields place to his 'eco-consciousness' at the end. Human nature interconnection which is the very basis of Ecocriticism is paramount in the novel.
literature, environment, awareness, ecocritical, forest, ego-consciousness, ecological, novel, human nature
International Journal of Trend in Scientific Research and Development - IJTSRD having
online ISSN 2456-6470. IJTSRD is a leading Open Access, Peer-Reviewed International
Journal which provides rapid publication of your research articles and aims to promote
the theory and practice along with knowledge sharing between researchers, developers,
engineers, students, and practitioners working in and around the world in many areas
like Sciences, Technology, Innovation, Engineering, Agriculture, Management and
many more and it is recommended by all Universities, review articles and short communications
in all subjects. IJTSRD running an International Journal who are proving quality
publication of peer reviewed and refereed international journals from diverse fields
that emphasizes new research, development and their applications. IJTSRD provides
an online access to exchange your research work, technical notes & surveying results
among professionals throughout the world in e-journals. IJTSRD is a fastest growing
and dynamic professional organization. The aim of this organization is to provide
access not only to world class research resources, but through its professionals
aim to bring in a significant transformation in the real of open access journals
and online publishing.