LANGUAGE IN INDIA

Strength for Today and Bright Hope for Tomorrow

Volume 25:2 February 2025
ISSN 1930-2940

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         B. Mallikarjun, Ph.D.
         A. R. Fatihi, Ph.D.
         G. Baskaran, Ph.D.
         T. Deivasigamani, Ph.D.
         Pammi Pavan Kumar, Ph.D.
         Soibam Rebika Devi, M.Sc., Ph.D.

Managing Editor & Publisher: M. S. Thirumalai, Ph.D.

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Contours of Catastrophe:
Ecological and Existential Crisis in
Samantha Harvey’s Orbital and Amitav Ghosh’s The Living Mountain

Dr Md Samiul Azim


Courtesy: www.amazon.com

Abstract

This research article examines the intertwined themes of ecological and existential crises as represented in Samantha Harvey’s Orbital and Amitav Ghosh’s The Living Mountain: A Fable of Our Times. Through the lens of eco-criticism and existential philosophy, the study explores how these works articulate humanity’s fraught relationship with the environment amidst the Anthropocene’s looming threats. Harvey’s Orbital portrays the Earth’s fragility from a spatial perspective, invoking a sense of human insignificance against planetary vulnerabilities. Conversely, Ghosh’s The Living Mountain employs a fable-like narrative to critique resource exploitation, offering a poignant commentary on the interconnectedness of human and ecological survival. The article delves into the philosophical undertones of each text, juxtaposing Harvey’s existential reflections with Ghosh’s postcolonial environmentalism. The comparative analysis highlights their shared thematic preoccupations with environmental degradation while emphasizing their distinct narrative strategies—Harvey’s experimental spatiality versus Ghosh’s allegorical storytelling. By examining these works, the study underscores literature’s critical role in interrogating the Anthropocene’s challenges, offering profound insights into the human condition and our collective ecological responsibility. This paper explores the duality of the themes of ecological crisis and existential crisis through the representations in Orbital by Samantha Harvey and The Living Mountain: A Fable of Our Times by Amitav Ghosh. Using eco-criticism and existential philosophy as critical frameworks, this paper demonstrates how these texts implicate humanity in an awkward relationship with the environment amidst the looming threats of the Anthropocene. Harvey's Orbital grants a spatial perspective on Earth's fragility, evoking an image where human significance becomes minimal in contrast to the vulnerabilities of planets. In contrast, Ghosh's The Living Mountain employs a fable-like form to address critiquing resources exploitation with a relevant remark on human survival and ecological integrity. This paper explicates the philosophical underpinnings embedded within each text by situating Harvey's existential ruminations against Ghosh's postcolonial environmentalism. A comparative reading thus reveals common thematic concerns about environmental disintegration while foregrounding diverse narrative techniques used therein: spatial experimentation in exploration of possibilities by cataloguing failures versus allegorical storytelling. Engaging with such texts, this study elucidates how literature plays an important role in interrogating what challenges continue to be posed by the Anthropocene epoch, offering significant reflections upon human existence and our shared ecological stewardship.

Keywords: Samantha Harvey, Amitav Ghosh, Orbital, The Living Mountain, Ecological crisis, Existential Crisis. Anthropocene, Eco-criticism,

Introduction

In the epoch of the Anthropocene, literature has emerged as a profound medium to confront and interrogate the multifaceted crises of our time. The environmental and existential dilemmas posed by ecological degradation compel a reconsideration of humanity’s role in, and responsibility toward, the natural world. The literary endeavors of Samantha Harvey and Amitav Ghosh, particularly in Orbital and The Living Mountain: A Fable of Our Times, respectively, provide incisive explorations of these themes, fusing philosophical inquiry with ecological critique. This article seeks to examine the contours of ecological and existential crises within these texts, revealing their shared preoccupations with human vulnerability and environmental precariousness.

This is only the beginning part of the article. PLEASE CLICK HERE TO READ THE ENTIRE ARTICLE IN PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION.

Dr Md Samiul Azim
Assistant Professor
Department of English
Gazole Mahavidyalaya
Malda, West Bengal
Email: azimpremji40@gmail.com
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