Eco-Criticism and the Crisis of Representation in Postmodern Narratives
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Eco-criticism has emerged as a significant theoretical framework that examines the relationship between literature and the physical environment. In the context of postmodern narratives, the representation of nature undergoes a profound transformation, marked by fragmentation, irony, intertextuality, and skepticism toward grand narratives. This paper explores how postmodern literature reflects ecological anxiety while simultaneously problematizing the very act of representing nature. Drawing upon theoretical insights from Lawrence Buell, Cheryll Glotfelty, and Jean-François Lyotard, the study examines selected postmodern texts to demonstrate how environmental crises are intertwined with representational crises. The paper argues that postmodern narrative strategies—metafiction, fragmentation, magical realism, and narrative self-reflexivity—both reveal and complicate ecological realities. Ultimately, eco-criticism in postmodernism highlights the tension between environmental urgency and linguistic instability, urging readers to reconsider how literature mediates ecological consciousness.
Author: Hadkar, Maruti
Institutions: NSW Department of Education, Department for Education
Language: English
Subfield: Literature and Literary Theory
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7131067281