Transcending Shallow Ecology: A ‘Deep Ecological’ Study of Gary Snyder’s Select Poems

Abstract

Ecocriticism is a field of literary and cultural studies that examines the relationship between literature and the environment, mainly focusing on how human activities have caused environmental damage. It critically explores how literature reflects, influences, and challenges our understanding of environmental issues and encourages a deeper awareness of the ecological consequences of human actions. However, the present study begins with the assertion that simply being ecocritical is not enough, a point also made by Cheryll Glotfelty in “The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology.” In any critical discourse, merely being critical or opposed to something represents only the second phase, which is not mature. For example, Feminism comprises three stages, as described by Elaine Showalter in “A Literature of Their Own.” In the Feminine phase, women imitate men; in the feminist phase, women are highly critical of and oppositional to men; finally, in the female phase, one emerges as oneself. We may only engage in shallow criticism if we focus solely on ecocritical analysis. Our primary perspective would remain tied to the issues we intend to critique rather than allowing environmental wisdom to stand independently. Consequently, it would always be a reactionary critique rather than an independent discourse.By applying Deep Ecology in the select poems of “Regarding Wave” by Gary Snyder, this paper tries to shift from the shallow phase of ecocriticism to a deeper one, which will talk about The Three Ecologies- self, society, and the environment in place of two ecologies - human and non-human. The study promotes going beyond the class-structured civilized society and the integration of Indigenous cultures, emphasizing recycling and reintegrating them into modern consciousness as essential for addressing environmental crises.