A COMPARISON OF THE ATTITUDES TOWARD NATURE IN LONDON’S “TO BUILD A FIRE” AND CATHER’S “NEIGHBOUR ROSICKY” /LONDON’IN “ATEŞ YAKMAK” VE CATHER’IN “KOMŞUM ROSICKY” ADLI ÖYKÜLERİNDE DOĞAYA KARŞI OLAN TUTUMLARIN BİR MUKAYESESİ
Abstract
Toward the end of the 19th century, the vision of nature shifted from its romantic idealization to an understanding of it as a harsh and indifferent being. This shift is compatible with the change from Romanticism to Realism/Naturalism. As a naturalist, Jack London (1876-1916) deals with a character’s prejudiced and hostile stance to nature in “To Build a Fire” (1908). On the other hand, Willa Cather (1873-1947) adopts a Romantic/ecological point of view to nature in “Neighbour Rosicky” (1928), though Romanticism had lost its impact in her time. The works as representatives of opposite movements can be regarded as opposite in terms of their perceptions of nature, too. In the first, ‘the man’ underestimates the power of nature, the intensity of cold weather and does not establish a positive bond with his dog. At the end, nature with its indifference overcomes him severely. On the contrary, Cather’s protagonist Rosicky is a city-bred man, but chooses to lead a natural and ecological life after thirty-five. He cherishes nature and its components; in return, he is rewarded with spiritual satisfaction. Both stories epitomize the concept of nature by portraying the characters and their casts of mind. This study juxtaposes two opposite works which can be regarded as belonging to two opposite literary trends.
References
- 1. Bowen, James K. (1971), “Jack London's ‘To Build a Fire’: Epistemology and the White Wilderness”. Western American Literature. (Winter) Vol. 5 (4) 287-289 https://www.jstor.org/stable/43017420 (30 December 2021).
- 2. Cather, Willa 1992), “Neighbour Rosicky”. Cather: Stories, Poems, and Other Writings. Sharon O’Brien, (ed.) The Library of America: New York. 587-618.
- 3. Cather, Willa (1966), The Kingdom of Art: Willa Cather’s First Principles and Critical Statements 1893-1896. Bernice Slote, (ed.) University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln.
- 4. Ewoldt, Carolyn (1984), “Problems with Rewritten Materials, as Exemplified by ‘To Build a Fire’ “. American Annals of the Deaf. (February) Vol. 129 (1) 23-28 https://www.jstor.org/stable/44389249 (30 December 2021).
- 5. Hilfer, Anthony Channell (2012), " ‘The Nothing That Is’: Representations of Nature in American Writing”. Texas Studies in Literature and Language. Vol. 54 (2) Tony Hilfer on Negative Spaces in Ecocriticism: A Monograph on the Sublime in Philosophy, Poetry, Short Story, and Film. (Summer) 219-297 https://www.jstor.org/stable/41680213 (30 December 2021).
- 6. Köseman, Zennure (2021), “James Joyce’s Manifestation of Epiphany in Ernest Hemingway’s ‘Big Two- Hearted River’ “. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences. Vol. 20 (4) 1795-1804. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/jss/issue/65579/909143 (27 May 2022). 7. London, Jack (1908), “To Build a Fire”. https://www.midlandisd.net/cms/lib01/TX01000898/Centricity/Domain/4/AP%20Summer%20Reading%202012/Pre-AP%20World%20Geography%20%209th%20Grade%20Summer%20Reading%20Short%20Stories.pdf 1-10. (29 March 2022).
- 8. Mitchell, Lee Clark (1986), "Keeping His Head": Repetition and Responsibility in London's "To Build a Fire". Journal of Modern Literature. (March) Vol. 13 (1) 76-96. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3831433 (30 December 2021).
- 9. O’Brien, Sharon (1987), Willa Cather: The Emerging Voice. Oxford University Press: New York.
- 10. Özer, Sevinç S. (2018), Çağdaş Kısa Öykü Sanatı ve Politikaları. (Art and Politics of Contemporary Short Story) İmge Kitabevi: Ankara.
- 11. Reesman, Jeanne Campbell (1997), " ‘Never Travel Alone’: Naturalism, Jack London, and the White Silence”. American Literary Realism, 1870-1910. (Winter) Vol. 29 (2) 33-49 https://www.jstor.org/stable/27746687 (30 December 2021).
- 12. Penny, Jonathon (2019), “Out of the Garden: The Nature of Revelation in Romanticism, Naturalism, and Modernism”. Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. (Winter) Vol.52(4) 63-80. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/dialjmormthou.52.4.0063 (30 December 2021).
- 13. Ross, Dale H. (1982), "Jack London: An American Dilemma," Journal of American Culture. 5(4) (Winter) 57-62. https://fr.art1lib.org/g/Dale%20A.%20Ross (11 April 2022).
- 14. Şahin, Veysel (2018), “Kağızmanlı Recep Hıfzı’nın Şiirlerinde Tabiat ve Mekâna Dönüş” (Return to Nature and to Space in the Poems of Kağızmanlı Recep Hıfzı). Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University Journal of Social Sciences and Research. Vol. 1(1) (January) 108-122. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/608082 (27 May 2022).
- 15. Şenocak, Ebru (2010), “A Mythological Folk Story Transformation to Star Focused on ‘Leylâ and Majnun’ “. Milli Folklör. (Summer, 86). 20-29.
A COMPARISON OF THE ATTITUDES TOWARD NATURE IN LONDON’S “TO BUILD A FIRE” AND CATHER’S “NEIGHBOUR ROSICKY” /LONDON’IN “ATEŞ YAKMAK” VE CATHER’IN “KOMŞUM ROSICKY” ADLI ÖYKÜLERİNDE DOĞAYA KARŞI OLAN TUTUMLARIN BİR MUKAYESESİ
Abstract
Toward the end of the 19th century, the vision of nature shifted from its romantic idealization to an understanding of it as a harsh and indifferent being. This shift is compatible with the change from Romanticism to Realism/Naturalism. As a naturalist, Jack London (1876-1916) deals with a character’s prejudiced and hostile stance to nature in “To Build a Fire” (1908). On the other hand, Willa Cather (1873-1947) adopts a Romantic/ecological point of view to nature in “Neighbour Rosicky” (1928), though Romanticism had lost its impact in her time. The works as representatives of opposite movements can be regarded as opposite in terms of their perceptions of nature, too. In the first, ‘the man’ underestimates the power of nature, the intensity of cold weather and does not establish a positive bond with his dog. At the end, nature with its indifference overcomes him severely. On the contrary, Cather’s protagonist Rosicky is a city-bred man, but chooses to lead a natural and ecological life after thirty-five. He cherishes nature and its components; in return, he is rewarded with spiritual satisfaction. Both stories epitomize the concept of nature by portraying the characters and their casts of mind. This study juxtaposes two opposite works which can be regarded as belonging to two opposite literary trends.
References
- 1. Bowen, James K. (1971), “Jack London's ‘To Build a Fire’: Epistemology and the White Wilderness”. Western American Literature. (Winter) Vol. 5 (4) 287-289 https://www.jstor.org/stable/43017420 (30 December 2021).
- 2. Cather, Willa 1992), “Neighbour Rosicky”. Cather: Stories, Poems, and Other Writings. Sharon O’Brien, (ed.) The Library of America: New York. 587-618.
- 3. Cather, Willa (1966), The Kingdom of Art: Willa Cather’s First Principles and Critical Statements 1893-1896. Bernice Slote, (ed.) University of Nebraska Press: Lincoln.
- 4. Ewoldt, Carolyn (1984), “Problems with Rewritten Materials, as Exemplified by ‘To Build a Fire’ “. American Annals of the Deaf. (February) Vol. 129 (1) 23-28 https://www.jstor.org/stable/44389249 (30 December 2021).
- 5. Hilfer, Anthony Channell (2012), " ‘The Nothing That Is’: Representations of Nature in American Writing”. Texas Studies in Literature and Language. Vol. 54 (2) Tony Hilfer on Negative Spaces in Ecocriticism: A Monograph on the Sublime in Philosophy, Poetry, Short Story, and Film. (Summer) 219-297 https://www.jstor.org/stable/41680213 (30 December 2021).
- 6. Köseman, Zennure (2021), “James Joyce’s Manifestation of Epiphany in Ernest Hemingway’s ‘Big Two- Hearted River’ “. Gaziantep University Journal of Social Sciences. Vol. 20 (4) 1795-1804. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/pub/jss/issue/65579/909143 (27 May 2022). 7. London, Jack (1908), “To Build a Fire”. https://www.midlandisd.net/cms/lib01/TX01000898/Centricity/Domain/4/AP%20Summer%20Reading%202012/Pre-AP%20World%20Geography%20%209th%20Grade%20Summer%20Reading%20Short%20Stories.pdf 1-10. (29 March 2022).
- 8. Mitchell, Lee Clark (1986), "Keeping His Head": Repetition and Responsibility in London's "To Build a Fire". Journal of Modern Literature. (March) Vol. 13 (1) 76-96. https://www.jstor.org/stable/3831433 (30 December 2021).
- 9. O’Brien, Sharon (1987), Willa Cather: The Emerging Voice. Oxford University Press: New York.
- 10. Özer, Sevinç S. (2018), Çağdaş Kısa Öykü Sanatı ve Politikaları. (Art and Politics of Contemporary Short Story) İmge Kitabevi: Ankara.
- 11. Reesman, Jeanne Campbell (1997), " ‘Never Travel Alone’: Naturalism, Jack London, and the White Silence”. American Literary Realism, 1870-1910. (Winter) Vol. 29 (2) 33-49 https://www.jstor.org/stable/27746687 (30 December 2021).
- 12. Penny, Jonathon (2019), “Out of the Garden: The Nature of Revelation in Romanticism, Naturalism, and Modernism”. Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought. (Winter) Vol.52(4) 63-80. https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5406/dialjmormthou.52.4.0063 (30 December 2021).
- 13. Ross, Dale H. (1982), "Jack London: An American Dilemma," Journal of American Culture. 5(4) (Winter) 57-62. https://fr.art1lib.org/g/Dale%20A.%20Ross (11 April 2022).
- 14. Şahin, Veysel (2018), “Kağızmanlı Recep Hıfzı’nın Şiirlerinde Tabiat ve Mekâna Dönüş” (Return to Nature and to Space in the Poems of Kağızmanlı Recep Hıfzı). Karamanoğlu Mehmetbey University Journal of Social Sciences and Research. Vol. 1(1) (January) 108-122. https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/608082 (27 May 2022).
- 15. Şenocak, Ebru (2010), “A Mythological Folk Story Transformation to Star Focused on ‘Leylâ and Majnun’ “. Milli Folklör. (Summer, 86). 20-29.
Details
| Primary Language | English |
|---|---|
| Subjects | Literary Studies |
| Journal Section | Research Articles |
| Authors | |
| Early Pub Date | December 19, 2022 |
| Publication Date | December 20, 2022 |
| Submission Date | June 1, 2022 |
| Acceptance Date | September 15, 2022 |
| Published in Issue | Year 2022 Volume: 3 Issue: 2 |
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