Bernard Malamud's God's Grace-A Study in Eco Literature

Abstract

At the turn of the century, the Earth is facing a serious ecological crisis. The most pressing problems in the form of global warming, chronic resource dwindling, destruction of the flora and the fauna and the extinction of species move us all to the verge of a swan song to “Nature”. If we want to bequeath a safe and green earth to our progeny, it is mandatory that we create an awareness among today's generation about the protection of the environment and its fragile Eco system. This paper attempts to create such an awareness among the readers by re-reading Bernard Malamud's novel, God's Grace from an earth centered approach. It is hoped that Eco reading of such popular texts can enhance environmental literacy among us. Eco criticism or Eco literature as a separate discipline has gained momentum in the 1990's. In its nascent stages of growth, it was a communion of American critics dealing with American literature. Later, they have founded their association ASLE (Association for the study of Literature and Environment) and their journal ISLE (Interdisciplinary Studies in Literature and Environment) to propound their theories and verify their results. Hence, Eco literature is seen as a fusion of ecology and literature or how man's relationships with his physical environment are reflected in literature. This refreshing interdisciplinary combination of a natural science and a humanistic discipline has the sole aim of preserving nature and ensuring the survival of man and his eco-partners.