Virginia Woolf, Jeanette Winterson, and Ali Smith share
an ecological philosophy of the world as one highly interconnected entity comprised
of multiple and equal, human and non-human participants. This study argues that
these writers' ecocentric views find expression through their literary forms and
that their texts have an ecological significance in fostering respect for and
understanding of difference, human and nonhuman.
Beginning with Woolf's work, these writers abandon the hegemonic master
narrative and instead practice pluralistic, democratic, and non-authoritarian forms
that are consistent with feminist ecology and erode patriarchal domination. Their
texts have a world-transforming potential as they offer formal models that overcome
dualistic thinking and unsettle traditional binaries. The value transformation they
encourage is an indispensible groundwork for the new environmental philosophy and a
prerequisite to progressive action and change.
