John Keats’ to Autumn: An Ecocritical Reading

Ecocriticism is of special importance in our contemporary world not just because of its growing significance in the academia but also because of its indispensable nature. The environment today is a threat and it is quite certain that every literate man today is aware of the situation. Global warming, water and oxygen crisis, pollution, the melting of the polar ice, hole in the ozone layer, etc are just some of the issues that need to be addressed. The increasing number of natural calamities, like the Tsunami, cyclones, and earthquakes that are causing substantial damage to life and property, prove that environmental issues cannot and should not be ignored. Ecocriticism seeks to read literature from the viewpoint of the environment and to unearth the ecological concerns of the authors. Mere awareness of facts has proved to be rather ineffective when it comes to environmental issues. What is required is a holistic approach to the issues and that is where literature can prove to be an important medium. We have already observed what great difference literature can make while dealing with social issues like female rights and rights for black men and what has made literature succeed it is the holistic approach. There is no reason why literature cannot be as effective when it comes to the environmental problems.