The Sound and Fury of Ecocriticism
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: This article interrogates the efficacy and urgency of ecocriticism in the Anthropocene, drawing inspiration from Macbeth’s nihilistic soliloquy to explore the perceived disconnect between language and ecological action. With climate change intensifying and global ecosystems in peril, the essay challenges the academic insularity of environmental discourse and calls for a reinvigorated ecocriticism that translates critical insight into ethical praxis. Through interdisciplinary analysis—spanning literary theory, environmental science, and climate activism—it examines the limits and possibilities of narrative in mobilizing sustainable futures. Emphasizing the need for individual carbon reduction and systemic transformation, the article envisions ecocriticism as a dynamic agent of change that must evolve from witnessing to world-making. As the Earth itself becomes a speaker of catastrophe, the essay urges scholars, readers, and citizens alike to respond not with despair, but with decisive ecological engagement. In the face of mounting crisis, the question remains: will our critical "sound and fury" signify nothing—or everything?
Author: Adhuze, Helen Idowu, PhD
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Climate action
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7126048149
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