Eco-fiction is a genre that deals with environmental themes. For example, the epic classic Moby Dick could be considered as eco-fiction. In this book, Captain Ahab is at war with a whale called Moby Dick. Books in this genre talk about the relationship between man and nature with special focus on situations where the relationship hurts the latter.
Stories that involve man’s conflict with nature have been around for hundreds of years. But since the destructive effect of man’s actions on nature is a phenomenon that’s only recently understood, such stories are just beginning to catch and hold our attention.
Public interest in literature relating to ecological issues was roused in the late 50s and early 60s in the U.S., when it became clear that we were causing large scale damage to our environment. One particular event is of great importance. In 1962, Rachel Carson’s book Silent Spring was released. This was a non-fiction science book that proved the destructive nature of the pesticide DDT (dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane) on birds (and animals in general).
Silent Spring was inspired by the lines: “The sedge is wither'd from the lake, And no birds sing” from La Belle Dame sans Merci , a poem by John Keats. The book was well written for a lay audience and not for scientists and was widely read. The book eventually led to the ban of DDT altogether. It also contributed immensely to the acceptance of science-based literature.
Eco-fiction is a hot genre of literature today. Global warming, rising seas, bio-engineered crops, viral mutations, and so on — this is a world that we encounter in an eco-fiction book.
