Rethinking the Boundaries of the “Green Literature Canon” in Turkey through Literary Studies

Abstract

Ecocriticism remains current at a time when global warming and environmental policies are being discussed. In recent years, the number of literary studies approaching Turkish literature with an ecocritical perspective has increased. Through these literary studies, it is possible to interpret the characteristics of the "green literature canon". Along with the ecological context of literary texts, the way researchers perceive ecocriticism is also decisive in the quality of this canon. Nature is not just a place, like a painting approaching the imagination of a pristine paradise. The aspect that has been changed and destroyed by human hands after industrialization cannot be ignored anymore. This situation has led to the necessity of distinguishing between pastoral and eco-literature. The use of non-human creatures and nature as metaphors to describe only human emotions in a human-made text is also one of the issues addressed by ecocriticism. The issue of representation regarding the exploitation of animals has been evaluated on a large scale through discussions involving animal studies. In studies of world literature, eco-literature focuses on content approaching a post-humanist understanding. Accordingly, although eco-literature includes criticism of humans' destruction of nature and domination of other living creatures, it attaches importance to the integration of humans with other living beings by getting rid of their savior subject position. An integrative aesthetic language is required in which anthropocentrism cannot be overcome and post-humanist values are adopted instead of a language construction based on binary oppositions. There is no post-humanist consensus in the studies on works that can be considered as ecoliterature in Turkish. Traces of anthropocentrism can be seen in the content of some works that are highlighted with their ecocritical aspect. In this study, studies on ecocritical Turkish literature will be discussed. Through literary studies, the criteria by which the distinctive aspects of the meanings attributed to green literature are constructed will be analyzed.