Eco-Literature and the Creation of Empathy in Canadian Fiction Diplomarbeit zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades einer Magistra der Philosophie an der Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz vorgelegt von Magdalena Hannah PAUER am Institut für Anglistik Begutachterin: Ao.Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. phil. Maria Löschnigg Graz, 2020 “The beauty and genius of a work of art may be reconceived, though its first material expression be destroyed; a vanished harmony may yet again inspire the composer; but when the last individual of a race of living beings breathes no more, another heaven and another earth must pass before such a one can be again.” (C. William Beebe, The Bird: Its Form and Function, 1906) Acknowledgements I would like to express deep gratitude to Prof. Dr. Maria Löschnigg for her encouragement and guidance during the development of this thesis. Thank you for all your advice and enthusiasm throughout the writing process. My closest family, Katharina and Martin and my sisters Theresa, Julia, Maria and Sophia, have supported me with helpful tips and positive energy throughout my studies. Thanks to them, all obstacles seem small and easily manageable. I am most grateful to my parents for their endless love and support. I particularly thank my best friends Elisabeth, Jennifer, Anna, Andrea and Johanna, who I have not only shared thousands of coffee-dates, wonderful memories, and the most precious time with, but who have also made these past years at university an unforgettable adventure. Last but not least, I would like to thank Daniel, my favourite person in the world, for his support, his boundless optimism and high spirits. He has taught me that simple distractions, such as a volleyball match on a sunny afternoon, are the key to a person’s happiness. I am looking forward to all our future adventures together. ii Table of Content 1 Introduction ........................................................................................................................ 1 2 Eco-Literature ..................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Underestimating Climate Change ................................................................................ 3 2.2 The Impact of Eco-Literature ...................................................................................... 6 2.3 Subgenres of Eco-Literature ........................................................................................ 8 2.3.1 Eco-Fiction ......................................................................................................... 10 3 Ecocriticism ...................................................................................................................... 13 3.1 General Introduction to Ecocriticism ........................................................................ 13 3.2 The Cultural Relevance of Ecocriticism .................................................................... 15 3.3 The History of Ecocriticism ...................................................................................... 17 3.4 Possible Solutions and Futuristic Outlook ................................................................. 20 4 Affective Ecologies and the Creation of Empathy ........................................................... 21 4.1 Animals and Empathy ............................................................................................... 25 5 Native Ecologies .............................................................................................................. 27 6 Primary Canadian Eco-Fiction ......................................................................................... 30 6.1 Introduction to the Selected Texts ............................................................................. 30 6.2 Synopses of the Primary Literature ........................................................................... 31 6.2.1 The White Bone by Barbara Gowdy ................................................................... 32 6.2.2 The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King ............................................................ 32 6.2.3 Eating Dirt by Charlotte Gill ............................................................................. 33 6.2.4 The Black Grizzly of Whiskey Creek by Sid Marty ............................................ 33 6.2.5 Last of the Curlews by Fred Bodsworth ............................................................. 34 6.2.6 Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood ................................................................ 35 6.2.7 “Silverspot. The Story of a Crow” by Earnest T. Seton ..................................... 35 6.2.8 “Do Seek Their Meat from God” by Charles G. D. Roberts .............................. 36 iii 6.2.9 “Blessing Song” by Lee Maracle ....................................................................... 36 6.2.10 “Cedar Sings” by Lee Maracle ........................................................................... 36 6.2.11 “An Athabasca Story” by Warren Cariou .......................................................... 37 6.2.12 “The Tent” by Margaret Atwood ....................................................................... 37 6.2.13 “Goodbye Snauq” by Lee Maracle ..................................................................... 37 6.3 Methods to Create Empathy in Eco-Literature .......................................................... 38 7 Animals ............................................................................................................................ 38 7.1 Use of Paratext ........................................................................................................... 40 7.2 Visual Elements ......................................................................................................... 43 7.3 Anthropomorphism and Anti-Anthropomorphism .................................................... 49 7.3.1 Anthropomorphism ............................................................................................ 49 7.3.2 Anti-Anthropomorphism .................................................................................... 56 7.4 Narrative Perspectives ............................................................................................... 58 7.4.1 First-person Narration ........................................................................................ 59 7.4.2 Third-person Narration ....................................................................................... 62 7.5 Native Attachment ..................................................................................................... 64 7.6 Death of Animals ....................................................................................................... 65 7.7 Criticism of Human Behaviour .................................................................................. 66 8 Pollution and Environmental Degradation ....................................................................... 68 8.1 Dystopian Settings ..................................................................................................... 68 8.2 Reminders of the Past ................................................................................................ 72 8.3 The Native Representation of Environmental Degradation ...................................... 76 8.4 Stylistic and Rhetorical Devices ................................................................................ 81 8.5 Irony ........................................................................................................................... 84 8.6 Imagery to Describe Nature ....................................................................................... 87 8.7 Giving Voice to Nature .............................................................................................. 90 iv 9 Conclusion ........................................................................................................................ 91 10 Bibliography ..................................................................................................................... 94 10.1 Primary Sources ..................................................................................................... 94 10.2 Secondary Sources ................................................................................................. 95 11 Webliography ................................................................................................................. 101 12 Register of Illustrations .................................................................................................. 102 13 Appendix ........................................................................................................................ 104 13.1 Illustrations .......................................................................................................... 104 13.1.1 The White Bone ................................................................................................ 104 v 1 Introduction People are dying. Entire ecosystems are collapsing. We are in the beginning of a mass extinction and all you can talk about is money and fairy-tales of eternal economic growth. How dare you? (Greta Thunberg 2019: min 0:40) Today, environmental disasters happen in greater numbers than ever and natural surroundings have never faced more human-caused destruction. We find ourselves between an American president who publicly denies the existence of climate change and a Swedish