The Ecocultural Force of Music: a Critical Reading of Nick Cave’S Lyrics
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The Ecocultural Force of Music: A Critical Reading of Nick Cave’s Lyrics Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Magistra der Philosophie an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz vorgelegt von Helena Fischer am Institut für Anglistik Begutachterin: Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Maria Löschnigg Graz, 2021 Acknowledgments I would like to express my sincerest gratitude to all the wonderful people who have supported me during the last year. First and foremost, I want to thank my my supervisor Ao. Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. phil Maria Löschnigg for her continuous support and help along the way. By sharing her tremendous knowledge and motivation with me, this thesis became possible. Thank you for providing an environment in which young scholars like me can feel their voices heard and valued. Furthermore, I want to thank my grandfather, Werner Reiser, for sharing his passion for literature with me and exposing me to the wonders of stories and poems since I have been a kid. Through his continuous support and love, I became the person I am today. I would also like to thank my flatmates and friends (the sensible animals) for assisting and motivating me during the writing process. By showing genuine interest in the project in general and, especially, by helping me to make sense out of my sometimes confused interpretations, you all gave me the inspiration and courage to voice my own understanding of the songs. 1 Eidesstattliche Erklärung Hiermit erkläre ich, dass ich die vorliegende Arbeit selbstständig und ohne fremde Hilfe verfasst habe, andere als die angegebenen Quellen und Hilfsmittel nicht benutzt habe und Stellen, die den Quellen wörtlich oder inhaltlich entnommen wurden, als solche kenntlich gemacht habe. Diese Arbeit habe ich weder im In-oder Ausland in irgendeiner Form als Prüfungsarbeit vorgelegt. Die elektronische Version der Arbeit stimmt textlich mit der gedruckten Version überein. Graz, Juli 2021 Helena Fischer 2 Abstract The complex issue of climate change needs many different approaches, if we want to find a more ecologically effective way of interacting with the earth and its inhabitants. Such approaches must not only come from the natural sciences, but the humanities as well have a valid role to play in this regard. Understanding and critically evaluating concepts and products of culture and our relationship to nature can expose new perspectives which may lead to a more sustainable future. Ecocriticism is one such approach which tries to engage in ecological debate and confront environmental issues on an ontological level, scrutinizing the way we relate to the environment. This thesis wants to give an overview of what ecocriticism entails and wants to show how culture, and especially literature, can act as an essential source for environmental considerations. This will be illustrated by an ecocritical reading of selected lyrics written by the musician and author Nick Cave. Through highlighting the ecological potential of the lyrics by means of literary analysis, this thesis wants to contribute to a broadening of what is considered ‚environmental literature‘ and demonstrate the relevance of song lyrics in the context of ecocriticism. 3 Table of Content 1. Introduction..............................................................................................................6 2. Roots of Ecocriticism – Theoretical Foundations and Practical Applications.........8 2.1 Key-concepts of Ecocriticism...................................................................................................8 2.2 Ecocriticism: A Historical Overview......................................................................................12 2.2.1 First-Wave Ecocriticism..................................................................................................16 2.2.2 Second-Wave Ecocriticism.............................................................................................19 3. Culture, Literature and the Environment................................................................24 3.1 An Overview of Cultural Ecology..........................................................................................24 3.2 The Aesthetics of Nature.........................................................................................................27 3.3 Literature, Music and Cultural Ecology.................................................................................29 4. Reflections on Environmental Genres....................................................................32 4.1 Environmental Literature – an Overview...............................................................................32 4.2 Poetry, Lyrics and Environment..............................................................................................41 5. Analysis: Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds....................................................................47 5.1. “Abattoir Blues “...................................................................................................................49 5.1.1 Introduction to the Song..................................................................................................49 5.1.2 Close Reading and Interpretation....................................................................................49 5.1.3 Summary.........................................................................................................................54 5.2. “We No Who U R”................................................................................................................54 5.2.1 Introduction to the Song..................................................................................................54 5.2.2 Close-Reading and Interpretation...................................................................................55 5.2.3 Summary.........................................................................................................................60 5.3. “The Higgs Boson Blues”......................................................................................................60 5.3.1 Introduction to the Song..................................................................................................60 5.3.2. Close-Reading and Interpretation..................................................................................61 5.3.3 Summary.........................................................................................................................65 5.4. “Anthrocence”.......................................................................................................................65 5.4.1 Introduction to the Song..................................................................................................65 5.4.2 Close-Reading and Interpretation...................................................................................66 5.4.3 Summary.........................................................................................................................72 5.5. “Magneto”..............................................................................................................................72 5.5.1 Introduction to the Song..................................................................................................72 5.5.2 Close-Reading and Interpretation...................................................................................74 5.5.3 Summary.........................................................................................................................80 5.6. Fireflies..................................................................................................................................80 5.6.1 Overview of the Song.....................................................................................................80 5.6.2 Close-Reading and Interpretation...................................................................................81 5.6.3 Summary.........................................................................................................................85 6. Conclusion..............................................................................................................86 7. Bibliography...........................................................................................................89 7.1 Primary Sources......................................................................................................................89 7.2 Secondary Sources..................................................................................................................89 7.3 Online Sources........................................................................................................................93 8. Appendix.................................................................................................................96 8.1 “Abattoir Blues”.....................................................................................................................96 8.2 “We No Who U R”.................................................................................................................97 4 8.3 “Higgs Boson Blues”..............................................................................................................97 8.4 “Anthrocence”........................................................................................................................98 8.5 “Magneto”...............................................................................................................................99