Human-Plant Entanglement and Vegetal Agency in the Poetry of Thomas Hardy and Sylvia Plath (Critical Plant Studies)

Human-Plant Entanglement and Vegetal Agency in the Poetry of Thomas Hardy and Sylvia Plath (Critical Plant Studies)
by: Dilek Bulut Sarikaya (Author)
Publisher:Lexington Books
Publication Date: 15 Mar. 2024
Language:English
Print Length:154 pages
ISBN-10:1666955213
ISBN-13:9781666955217
Book Description
This book investigates the poetry of Thomas Hardy and Sylvia Plath under the theoretical guidance of critical plant studies to disclose these two poets’ botanical awareness of the vegetal agency and their attentiveness to the ethical standing of plants in human life.
About the Author
Review “In her new contribution to ecocriticism, Dilek Bulut Sarikaya engages the poetry of Thomas Hardy as Sylvia Plath, addressing human-plant entanglements and vegetal agency at a time when the boundaries between critical animal and critical plant studies also seem to be rapidly dissolving. As concepts of “animal” and “plant” increasingly converge on the more fundamental concept of “life” in recent work in the field, the book’s engagement of the less frequently investigated genre of poetry at the convergence of its British and American traditions offers a welcome perspective.”–Sinan Akilli, Cappadocia UniversityDilek Bulut Sarıkaya weaves together a vast knowledge from critical plant studies discussing historical roots of plant sensitivity, vegetal memories, biological notion of plants, and consciousness of plant thinking to provide a testimony of the botanical accuracy of the vegetal beings. Human-Plant Entanglement and Vegetal Agency in the Poetry of Thomas Hardy and Sylvia Plath suggests a recognition of plant vitality in the daily lived-in experiences and cultural practices in the real world and argues that human-plant entanglements are not merely constrained within the literary realm. Sarıkaya’s message about botanical awareness is profoundly essential at this time in history as we come to terms with the anthropocentric assumptions of plantiness and global capitalism. This book significantly contributes to environmental humanities in general and plant humanities or phytocriticism in particular.–Subarna De, Environmental Humanities Scholar About the Author Dilek Bulut Sarikaya is associate professor of English literature at Cappadocia University.