Women, Nature and Capitalist Patriarchy: An Ecofeminist Reading of Margaret Atwood’s The Year of the Flood (2009)

• Authors: Paula Wieczorek
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The aim of the following paper is to analyse Margaret Atwood’s 2009 speculative fiction novel The Year of the Flood, drawing from the theories of such ecofeminist critics as Maria Mies and Karen Warren. The paper discusses the parallels between the exploitation of nature and animals as well as the oppression of women in the capitalist patriarchy. It explores the construction of women, nature and animals as dominated Others. Special attention is paid to the metaphors binding women and nature as well as to the development of ecological consciousness in female characters. Atwood undoubtedly criticises capitalism as well as genetic engineering, which contribute to the pollution and devastation of nature as well as have negative impact on human beings.

Keywords

EN

ecofeminism; women; nature; animals; Margaret Atwood; The Year of the Flood; capitalism; patriarchy

• Publisher: Wydawnictwo Uniwersytetu Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej
• Journal: New Horizons in English Studies
• Year: 2018
• Issue: 3

Dates

published

2018

online

2018-08-17

Contributors

author

Paula Wieczorek

• University of Rzeszów

editor

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

editor

Adam Głaz

editor

Lidia Kniaź-Hunek

editor

Anna Bendrat

editor

Ewelina Prażmo

editor

Przemysław Terejko

editor

Piotr Szczypa

editor

Grzegorz Czemiel

editor

Ewa Antoszek

editor

Justyna Galant

editor

Marta Komsta

editor

Edyta Frelik

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

editor

Anna Oleszczuk

editor

Agata Waszkiewicz

other

Aneta Okuń-Jaśkowiak

References

• Arden McHugh, Nancy. 2012. Ecofeminist Philosophies. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press.
• Atwood, Margaret. 2003. Oryx and Crake. New York: Anchor Books.
• Atwood, Margaret. 2003. Interview. http://www.randomhouse.com/features/atwood/ interview.html
• Atwood, Margaret. 2009. The Year of Flood. New York: Anchor Books.
• Birkeland, Janis. 1993. “Ecofeminism: Linking theory and practice.” In Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature. ed. Greta Gaard, 13-59. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
• Das, Shruti. 2016. “From eco-sensibility to ecofeminism.” In Re-Thinking Environment: Literature, Ethics and Praxis, ed. Shruti Das, 49-59. New Delhi: Authorspress.
• Gruen, Lori. 1993. “Dismantling oppression: An analysis of the connection between women and animals.” In Ecofeminism: Women, Animals, Nature, ed. Greta Gaard, 60-90. Philadelphia: Temple University Press.
• Heidegger, Martin. 1977. Basic Writings: From Being and Time (1927) to The Task of Thinking (1964). New York: Harper & Row.
• Klein, Naomi. 2014. This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate Change. London: Penguin Books.
• Mies, Maria. 2010. “The myth of catching-up development.” In Ecofeminism, ed. Maria Mies, Vandana Shiva, 61-80. New Delhi: Rawar Publications.
• Seager, Joni. 1993. Earth Follies: Feminism, Politics and the Environment. London: Earthscan Publications Limited.
• Tong, Rosemarie. 2014. Feminist Thought: A More Comprehensive Introduction. Oxford: Westview Press.
• Warren, Karen. 2000. Ecofeminist Philosophy: A Western Perspective on What It Is and Why It Matters. New York: Rowman & Littlefield.

Identifiers

DOI

10.17951/nh.2018.3.112