Conclusion

-

Humans are not the only ones in the world - people are surrounded by precious animal species and wonderful nature. With proliferation of technology, it seems that we are taking for granted entity of nature and the animal word. Moreover, we tend to separate from them by virtue of civilization. One should always remember that there is balance in the universe and that everything is interwoven in our world. Besides, the environment is often depicted in literature, proving that nature has always been of high importance. Consequently, a new method of studying literature has emerged – ecocriticism – that spreads awareness of nature. Our participation in the Leaf to Leaf project induced us to analyze literature from the ecocritical point of view, to enhance our creative skills and to apply multidisciplinarity within the project.

Firstly, by implementing the ecocritical perspective, we analyzed several literary texts which encapsulated nature and the animal world. We tried to spread awareness about how crucial and beautiful our nature is; and accordingly, make the reader appreciate the environment and think of seeking solutions for ecological problems. It can be concluded that a lot of attention has been paid to the preservation of nature.

Secondly, each member of the project has been able to reveal and exercise his or her creative skills. For example, we improved our writing skills and critical thinking skills by writing our blogs. What is more, we took photos and organized dissemination through social media.

Finally, we applied multidisciplinarity throughout the project. Our team has the representatives from Estonian, Russian and Georgian cultures. That’s why we could analyze literature from different backgrounds. Since the majority of our team members are philologists and many of us study the English language and the project itself is conducted in English, it was possible for us to practice our linguistic skills and write the blog posts. Apart from this, literary texts could be translated thanks to our students who study French, Spanish and Italian. Out team members studying liberal arts and arts and visual culture applied their skills in visual and digital spheres. Moreover, we investigated how the relationship between human culture and nature are depicted in literature and also analyzed several exhibitions taking place in Tallinn and Tartu to showcase examples of how interwoven ecocritism in not only literature but other forms of art as well. All in all, our Leaf to Leaf  project was interdisciplinary.

To sum up, we have learnt that we must reckon with nature and animal world. One should also remember that it is the man who is responsible for nature and its preservation. People must take into consideration that an indifferent attitude to ecological problems may lead to some catastrophic repercussions. Notably, in spite of going hand in hand with the rapid technological progress, humans should strike a balance in the world. Thus, each of us can contribute to the preservation of our precious environment.

Thank you everyone who read and shared our blog and followed us on Instagram and Facebook. Thank you for your kind comments and we hope that you gained something new on this ecocritical journey with us. 


                                                                                                Elu project team

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Once upon an ecocritical analysis: fear and domination of the wild in “Little Red Riding Hood”

-
Image
Crane, Walter. Red Riding Hood. 1875. Nature and culture are intertwined but traditionally, in literature, we see them in binary opposition to one another (Adler, 2014). According to ecocritical theorist Peter Barry, however, there exists a "gray area" in between the two. In this space, nature and culture coexist and interact. Barry argues that "for the ecocritic, nature really exists, out there beyond ourselves, not needing to be ironized as a concept, but actually present as an entity which affects us, and which we can affect, perhaps fatally, if we mistreat it". Thus, in literature, we can find examples of nature not as a set of metaphorical meanings, but as reflections of the natural world. By analyzing these representations, what we are left with are actual depictions of the relationship between humans and nature. This is where fairy tales come into play. In fairy tales the story often begins when the main character leaves the safety of its home, i
More info »

Estonian epic poem ''Kalevipoeg''

-
Image
One way nature is portrayed in literature is through epic poems that describe how our world came about. In Estonian folkore there is a book called ''Kalevipoeg'' that is in this genre. In Estonia, specifically in Tallinn, there is a lake called Ülemiste and a passage in Kalevipoeg describes how this lake appeared. A woman named Linda was grieving over the death of her man, whose name was Kalev. While burying him under some stones Linda got tired and accidentally dropped one of the boulders. She was too exhausted to pick it back up so she sat on it and started crying. Her sadness was so big and she cried for so long that her tears formed the Ülemiste lake. In real life you can even see the two big stones in the lake that Linda supposedly cried on and they are called the Lindakivi. Besides this, the rocks Linda was burying Kalev under formed Tõnismägi, a place that also exists in real life.  Silmalauge vesi valgus Laiaks loiguks lagedalle, Loigust tõusis ti
More info »

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

-
Image
Many people wish to escape the city life and embrace the simple way of living. For this reason some decide to leave their life and turn to living in the wilderness. Surviving in the forests and feeding themselves with foods they can gather.    One book that talks about a similar instance is ‘’Into the Wild’’ by Jon Krakauer. This book is based on a true story of a young man, Chris McCandless, who gave up his old life in the search of the ragged transcendent (existence or experience beyond the normal or physical level) experience. He loved adventure and frequently took off to live in the wilderness. In his younger years he lived in the desert, hitchhiked through America all the way to Mexico and his final and fatal adventure was in Alaska.    The reason why McCandless ran away so often was his complicated relationship with his father. He feared intimacy and attachment with others. A quote from the book reads: ‘’Sometimes he tried too hard to make sense of the world, to figure out why
More info »