Nature, Gender, And Dust: An Ecocritical Reading Of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials Trilogy

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Date

2013

Department

English and Languages

Program

Doctor of Philosophy

Citation of Original Publication

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This item is made available by Morgan State University for personal, educational, and research purposes in accordance with Title 17 of the U.S. Copyright Law. Other uses may require permission from the copyright owner.

Abstract

The primary goal of this dissertation is to study the relationship between humans and the natural environment as perceived in Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy by analyzing the prominent settings, characters, symbols, and themes from an ecocritical perspective. The secondary goal is to apply a Native American philosophical perspective--using primarily Roy Dudgeon's concept of the "inclusive circle," Hyemeyohsts Storm's concept of the Medicine Wheel, and Black Elk's unifying vision--to this analysis in order to enhance the ecocritical understanding of the trilogy. The application of the theories of identity development, ecocriticism, ecofeminism, nondualism, and Native American philosophy serve as methodology for this study. The main contribution of this study is to emphasize the usefulness of an ecocritical analysis when applied to young adult fantasy.