Year of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
Master of Arts (MA)
Degree Name
English (Literature)
Other Degree Name/Area of Focus
Ecocriticism
Department or School/College
Department of English
Committee Chair
Louise Economides
Committee Co-chair
Katie Kane
Commitee Members
Bob Baker, Paul Guernsey
Keywords
Eros, Sublime, Ecocriticism, Eco melancholia, Decreation, Oryx and Crake
Subject Categories
Adult and Continuing Education | Aesthetics | Applied Ethics | Cognition and Perception | Comparative Literature | Environmental Studies | Ethics and Political Philosophy | Feminist Philosophy | Humane Education | Human Factors Psychology | Literature in English, North America | Modern Literature | Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies | Other Philosophy | Reading and Language | Social Justice | Women's Studies
Abstract
This thesis explores connections between the Kantian sublime and Anne Carson’s ideas regarding “eros.” Since Kant’s Critique of Judgement was published in 1790, the Kantian sublime has grown in popularity and been utilized by theorists and creative writers alike. While the Kantian sublime is often associated with nature in popular culture, there are certain egocentric and phallocentric elements of this mode of thinking that might inhibit a biocentric mindset. Through a character study of Oryx from Margaret Atwood’s novel Oryx and Crake, this thesis draws relations between the subjugation of women, nature, and the ways in which the popularized Kantian sublime contributes to and supports dysfunctional hierarchical binaries. Considering the sublime through the lens of Carson’s eros offers intellectual opportunities to alter anthropocentric mindsets in order to reach a more productive ecological consciousness.
Recommended Citation
Carlson, Aineka, "Eros and the Sublime: Tools for Reaching Toward an Altered Ecological Consciousness" (2025). Graduate Student Theses, Dissertations, & Professional Papers. 12465.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/etd/12465
Included in
Adult and Continuing Education Commons, Aesthetics Commons, Applied Ethics Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Comparative Literature Commons, Environmental Studies Commons, Ethics and Political Philosophy Commons, Feminist Philosophy Commons, Humane Education Commons, Human Factors Psychology Commons, Literature in English, North America Commons, Modern Literature Commons, Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Other Philosophy Commons, Reading and Language Commons, Social Justice Commons, Women's Studies Commons
© Copyright 2025 Aineka Carlson