Ecocritical interpretation of Branko Ćopić’s children’s stories “The Bear and the Pear” and “The Living Fire and the Loner Lynx”
Abstract
The primary aim of this paper is an ecocritical interpretation of the children’s stories “The Bear and the Pear” and “The Living Fire and the Loner Lynx” by the Serbian writer Branko Ćopić. Since we are interested in how ecological themes are addressed in these stories, we have opted for a literary theoretical approach that has not yet been employed in interpreting Ćopić’s works within our research space. The focus is on ecocriticism, which deals with the study of the relationship between culture and the environment, and among other things, examines the ways nature is portrayed in literary works. The specific research questions, which lead to a somewhat broader interpretation of the author’s work, are as follows: What ecocritical themes, and with what connotations, are represented in Ćopić’s children’s stories? What are the dominant ideas that Ćopić artistically shapes in these stories, what is their genesis, and how are they promoted to (the youngest) readers? The set goals and research questions, alongside the methodological approach, have determined the structure of the paper, which, after an introductory section dedicated to critical reception, genre definitions, and the potential for interpreting Ćopić’s works as ecocritical texts, outlines the ecocritical perspective as a literary theoretical approach to the study of literature, and finally provides an interpretation of two of Ćopić’s children’s stories through the ecocritical lens. This research can be considered relevant not only because it attempts to apply new methodological models and shed light on certain aspects of the relationship between children’s literature and ecological issues, but also due to its aspirations for a more profound insight into the work of the Serbian writer. The results of this paper illuminate Ćopić as a modern and progressive writer, a critic of anthropocentrism, who literary reshapes traditional knowledge about nature, successfully conveying it to younger generations, anticipating but surpassing the ideas of ecological cultural criticism. The method used and research questions can be repeated in interpretations of other literary works.
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