In the most basic terms, ecocriticism is the connection between literature and the environment. It was born during a time of great industry in Britain and referred mostly to nature writing. These days it spans a great breadth of texts from literature to history, theology and philosophy to biology. It has been used to analyse texts of long past; from the Anglo Saxon times to the modern day and is the criticism and analysis of how we engage and interact with the natural world. We must ask ourselves how the work defines nature: what is natural? are we part of the natural world or separate from it?

These ideals help us to identify the impacts nature has on the culture and community of the text. Interestingly, many prolific ecocritics are from the rural paradise of Wales. For many, the natural world is idealised and connected with positive feelings. We see the fertility of the land and how farming communities cultivate it. We are aware of the psychological affects of nature and the sense of identity we inherit from our local environment. The landscape  is often ancient and sings of its history in a way that causes us to respect the natural world. And yet some would call it a dichotomy, for it can be both feared and revered, loved and hated. Negative correlations with the dark forests full of dark creatures lead us to view nature as harmful in some texts. Whereas, others use personification to evoke pity or fear. However, for many older texts, it is religion that plays a key role in how the natural world is interpreted. Faiths have different view points on nature, whether it be the harmony of the Pagans or the domination of Christianity and atheism.

Another variable of modern society that may change the way that you consider the natural world is that of climate change. New issues that have come to light regarding the environment have lead us to consider it as vulnerable. We start to focus on its fragility and as some thing far more precious due to the writing of scientists.

Historical events have shaped the authors of the past in much the same way as ecological findings do the work of today. For example, in the 16th to 18th century there was great political upheaval. The turmoil surrounding the Tudor dynasty was in full swing and there was much conflict. The reformation of the church had a big part to play in influencing those putting pen to paper. There were many religious biases to take into consideration. Moreover, the opinion that God made the landscape was interpreted in different ways; whether as sacred or as a gift from God to be nurtured or used as they pleased. Religion had a great influence on the landscape in the form of the monastery farms also.

The genre of ‘pastoral’ is often connected with ecocriticism. From the pastoral genre, we can agree there have been texts since 300BC and these of course include the garden of Eden. These works often suggest that we are stewards of the environment as it is viewed as a place of innocence far away from the dirty city. A modern example of this would be The Lord of the Rings with its differing landscapes and deforestation. The Shire is depicted as idyllic, while Mordor and Isengard represent the horror of the industrial age. These are interesting but obvious links to make and lead us to wonder what other messages authors have hidden in their pages.