Imagination and Knowledge: Ecological Issues as Represented in Ted Hughes’ Children’s Novels
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Abstract
This research article examines the representation of ecological crises and solutions in Ted Hughes’ children’s novels, The Iron Man (1968) and The Iron Woman (1993). It explores how these stories present the role of the sciences and humanities in addressing contemporary environmental problems. Worster (1993) argues that the sciences aim to protect the physical environment while the humanities promote understanding of the crises. My reading of Hughes’ novels suggests that the two disciplines reinforce, rather than contradict, each other. The study also examines Hughes’ novels in the context of ecocritical pedagogy. Kerridge (2012), for instance, identifies dichotomies of “imaginative freedom and scientific accuracy” as challenges in ecocritical teaching. This paper argues that Hughes’ texts integrate scientific knowledge with imaginative views in order to propose solutions to ecological problems. The Iron Man narrates the threat of metal waste that has serious consequences for scientific and technological advancement. The story advocates the use of recycling technologies to confront problems of abandoned metal waste. In his book The Iron Woman, written twenty years later, Hughes approaches science and technology as no longer sufficient enough to tackle chemical industries and toxic dumping. This paper contributes to the study of Hughes through an examination of his children books and the value of cooperation between the sciences and humanities in developing ecocritical awareness.
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