The nurturing river in Nuala Ní Chonchúir's "You": an ecocritical reading

Arguing that critical approaches to urban literature have often undermined the role of rivers, the present analysis will look at the emotional power that the river Liffey brings about in Nuala Ní Chonchúir's debut novel "You" (2010). Informed by ecocritical theory, the discussion will...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor: Morales Ladrón, María Soledad|||0000-0002-2100-7346
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2019
País:España
Institución:Universidad de Alcalá (UAH)
Repositorio:e_Buah Biblioteca Digital Universidad de Alcalá
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:ebuah.uah.es:10017/64461
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10017/64461
https://dx.doi.org/10.24197/ersjes.40.2019.77-96
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Ecosystem
Topophilia
Ecophobia
Rivers
Nuala Ní Chonchúir
"You"
Ecosistema
Topofilia
Ecofobia
Ríos
Filología
Philology
Descripción
Sumario:Arguing that critical approaches to urban literature have often undermined the role of rivers, the present analysis will look at the emotional power that the river Liffey brings about in Nuala Ní Chonchúir's debut novel "You" (2010). Informed by ecocritical theory, the discussion will tackle issues connected to the effects of urban and semi-urban habitats on the shaping of the individual mind, in a way that will challenge the traditional divide between city and countryside. It will consequently contend that the protagonist's perception and relation to the places she inhabits can be explained in terms of the notions of topophilia and ecophobia, with the sole purpose of subverting them. The analysis will finally suggest that the comforting sound of whirls, the lulling effect of the current of the river, is the nurturing element that stands between the laws of nature and those of society, blending life with death and allowing the possibility for rebirth.