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Abstract

This dissertation aims to explore the growing field of ecocritical studies and the impact that these concepts have on readers and how they may view current environmental and ecological concerns. Within the context of the complex and changing narratives of George R. R. Martin’s popular A Song of Ice and Fire series, I will also make a case for positioning these texts within the ecocritical tradition. In regards to my primary texts, I am looking to analyse the five released novels of a planned seven in George R. R. Martin’s series, these are: A Game of Thrones (1996), A Clash of Kings (1998), A Storm of Swords (2000), A Feast for Crows (2005), A Dance with Dragons (2011).
In my dissertation, I intend to analyse ideas of differing literary schools and genres in relation to ecocritical concepts in order to bring ecocriticism to the forefront of discussion within A Song of Ice and Fire, something that previous critics have failed to do. Because of this, I can assert new arguments for the texts’ status as a critique of the real-world environmental dangers as well as the current ecocritical standpoint in literary history. Firstly, I will turn my attentions to the newly emerging field of climate fiction, drawing upon key arguments of the Anthropocene and environmental apocalypse by critics such as Marc DiPaolo and Greg Garrard to provide a reading of A Song of Ice and Fire as a parallel of the climate change emergency that current society faces. Next, I will combine the two very established fields of feminism and ecocriticism to illustrate how feminine relationships with the environment and the concept of the female journey supports and subverts notions of ecofeminism. Lastly, I will bring postcolonialism into discourse with ecocritical debates, notably through applying arguments of critics such as Rob Nixon and Timothy Clark to understand how colonial and political processes are impacted by environmental factors, leading to a mirroring between the human and natural spheres.

Course: English Literature - BA (Hons) - C0995

Date Deposited: 2022-02-17

URI/permalink: https://library.port.ac.uk/dissert/dis13799.html