FROM ‘HOWLING WILDERNESS’ TO ‘HOLY WILDERNESS’

Year 2017, Volume: 5 Issue: 10, 423 - 433, 20.12.2017

Sezgin Toska

https://doi.org/10.20304/humanitas.358397

Abstract

The concept of Nature
has always been a focal subject in different fields of study and scientific
researches, ranging from natural sciences to social ones and, from philosophy
to arts and literature. Within this framework, Nature in North America has thus
far attracted numerous researchers, thinkers, and literary figures starting
with the original settlers of the continent, indigenous (native) peoples, and
continuing with colonists, Puritans, deists, scientists, dark romantics,
romantics, transcendentalists, realists, naturalists etc... In this article,
the subject matter is confined to the conceptual analysis of Nature from early
Puritans to transcendentalists in North America. This article discusses a
conceptualization process of nature from the early Puritans to the
transcendentalists in North America by examining various religious, cultural,
scientific, and literary perspectives. These perspectives helped the formations
of the concepts of nature thus different senses and perceptions of nature
emerged in certain periods according to the preconceived opinions and
imaginations of people. Each dominant perspective in each period has a
significant role in this conceptualization process of Nature. This kind of
evolutionary process is tried to be discussed through examining specific texts
which clearly represent these certain periods and by making use of ecocriticism. 

Keywords

Nature, Literature, Ecocriticsim, America

FROM ‘HOWLING WILDERNESS’ TO ‘HOLY WILDERNESS’-‘ULUYAN YABAN’DAN ‘ULU YABAN’A

Abstract

Doğa
kavramı, doğa bilimlerinden sosyal bilimlere, felsefeden sanat ve edebiyata
uzanan farklı çalışma alanları ve bilimsel araştırmalar için her zaman bir odak
noktası olmuştur. Öyle ki doğa, Kuzey Amerika’nın ilk sakinleri yerlilerden başlayarak
koloniciler, Püritenler, deistler, bilim
insanları, gizli romantikler, romantikler, transandantalistler, realistler ve
natüralistler ile devam eden birçok araştırmacı, düşünür ve edebi figür
için cezbedici olmuştur. Bu makale farklı dini, kültürel, bilimsel ve edebi
bakış açılarını inceleyerek Kuzey Amerika’daki Püritenlerden
transandantalistlere kadar uzanan doğanın kavramsallaştırılma sürecini
tartışmaktadır. Bu bakış açıları doğa kavramlarının oluşumuna katkıda
bulunmuştur ve böylelikle doğanın farklı anlamları ve algılanış biçimleri
insanların belirli dönemlerdeki önyargıları ve hayal güçlerine bağlı olarak
ortaya çıkmıştır. Her dönemdeki egemen bakış açısı, doğanın kavramsallaştırılma
sürecinde önemli rol oynamıştır. Bu yazıda böyle bir evrimsel süreç, belirli
dönemlere özgü metinler ışığında ele alınarak ekoeleştirel bakış açısıyla
tartışılmaya çalışılacaktır

Keywords

Doğa, Edebiyat, Ekoeleştiri, Amerika

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