Nature's Echoes in The Overstory: An Ecocritical Perspective.

The relationship between people and nature has always been a central theme in literature. Today, especially with environmental problems, it is important to look back at how literature has tackled this theme. Ecocriticism is a way to study literature that focuses on the environment. In other words, it is based on an ecological approach to literary studies and reveals that "human culture is connected to the physical world affecting it and affected by it" (Glotfelty xix). It shows that what we do as humans affects the natural world, and vice versa. This paper, "Nature's Echoes in The Overstory: An Ecocritical Perspective," looks at Richard Powers' The Overstory from an Ecocritical perspective. It breaks down and analyses the characters in this book using the ideas of deep ecology and shallow ecology. This paper also attempts to explore Pope Francis' concepts of 'ecological conversion' and 'integral ecology.' It looks at how the characters in the book go through an 'ecological conversion' that leads them to care about the environment, and how the concept of 'integral ecology' pushes them to connect with nature. Thus, this paper explores these key themes in the novel, showing how human actions seriously affect the natural world. It also talks about the possibility of making a big positive change to have a better relationship with the environment. The goal is to highlight the need for a more sustainable and respectful way of dealing with our planet. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]