Date of Award

24-4-2024

Document Type

Thesis

School

School of Arts, Sciences, Humanities & Education

First Advisor

Dr.R.Ravi

Keywords

Kazuo Ishiguro, Eco Criticism, Eco Psychology, Eco-Femininity, Techno Centrism

Abstract

Kazuo Ishiguro, one of the most celebrated contemporary writers, has authored eight novels. As a Noble Laureate of 2017, his works are constantly under academic scrutiny. One of the best-explored themes in the works of Ishiguro is memories and emotions. No writer of meritable artistic integrity can ever stay away from the pressing issue of his age. Intriguingly, Ishiguro's works seem to lack engagement with environmental issues. The extensive study of Literature reiterates the point that Ishiguro's works are explored solely for a diminished ratio in terms of environmental challenges.

The researcher has identified the lack of critical attention on the part of the research scholars, in general as the research gap and has made an earnest effort to bridge the gap by preferring to examine the reverberation of ecocritical concerns in his novels. Out of the eight novels of the writer, four novels, namely, A Pale View of Hills, The Remains of the Day, The Buried Giant, and Klara and the Sun have been chosen as these four happen to be the most popular, but also the most relevant to the theme chosen, of all his novels.

The objective of the research is to trace the eco-consciousness of the writer, as expressed in the selected four novels. This is done by applying a few major and minor ecocritical theories and relevant concepts that suit the context.

Chapter I, Introduction, covers Ishiugro's biography, which includes his individual and professional journey as a writer. Following that, a detailed Study of Literature provides the contextual framework for the thesis that justifies the identification of the research gap.

Chapter II studies the novel A Pale View of Hills to accentuate the interrelation between war and ecology and its implications on the environment.

Chapter III analyses the female characters of the novel The Remains of the Day to highlight the correlation between women and Nature and their positive influence on men as portrayed by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Chapter IV explores the invincible influence of the environment on the people with the help of the wild background of the novel The Buried Giant and goes on to show the interconnectedness between the various entities of Nature.

Chapter V emphasises the role of technology in protecting Nature. Klara, the protagonist of the novel, an AI, her robot friends, and her human owners were studied closely to demonstrate the need for eco-consciousness in the digital society.

Chapter VI, Conclusion, sums up the findings of the studythat expresses Kazuo Ishiguro's commitment towards ecological issues. The extensive study of the novels of Kazuo Ishiguro from an Ecocritical perspective leads to the realisation of the practical wisdom behind the Ecocritical philosophies and the dire need to implement them in the world of reality.

Download

Share

COinS