Kim, Paul Chi Hun (2013) The notion of nature in Coleridge and Wordsworth from the perspective of ecotheology. PhD thesis, University of Warwick.

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Abstract

This thesis aims to examine the idea of nature in the works of Samuel
Taylor Coleridge and William Wordsworth from the perspective of ecotheology.
Its intention is not to identify their works with ecotheology, but it will be
suggested how Coleridge’s search for the unity of the universe and
Wordsworth’s yearning for dwelling relate to recent developments in
ecotheological theory. Ecotheology can thus help us understand their ideas on
nature. There is a historical and disciplinary gap between the works of the
Romantic Period and ecotheology, and, in Romantic criticism, the idea of nature
is often misunderstood as a mere projection of the mind. Moreover, Coleridge’s
poetry has been the subject of an unjustified ideological criticism that has
misrepresented its theological viewpoints, and Wordsworth has also been read
in terms of a secular narrative about nature and consciousness. However, both
Coleridge and Wordsworth to some extent perceive nature as an environmental
landscape, and therefore nature can be understood as an independent reality as
well as a creation of the mind. They develop ideas of God in their literary works
in a way that needs to be understood not in a secular way, but in a religious
sense. Just as ecotheology attempts to articulate the value of the non-human
natural world, so Coleridge’s notion of unity and Wordsworth’s idea of dwelling
affirm similar values throughout their works.
Focusing in Chapter 1 on the writings of a number of twentieth-century
theologians, including Jűrgen Moltmann and Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, I will
outline the development of key ideas in ecotheology in terms of three main
elements, the interrelatedness of the universe, the independent sacred value of
nature, and a cosmic eschatology, which will be used as a conceptual
framework for exploring the works of Coleridge and Wordsworth. Chapter 2 will
show that Coleridge’s lifelong search for the unity of the universe reveals the
interrelatedness of the universe, and the sacredness of nature as an
independent value. Chapter 3 will see that Wordsworth’s idea of dwelling also
implies these two elements. Chapter 4 will show that their eschatological
visions are associated with a cosmic eschatology, of which the non-human
natural world constitutes a crucial part.

Item Type:	Thesis (PhD)
Subjects:	P Language and Literature > PR English literature
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Coleridge, Samuel Taylor, 1772-1834 -- Criticism and interpretation, Wordsworth, William, 1770-1850 -- Criticism and interpretation, Nature in literature, Ecotheology
Official Date:	October 2013
Dates:	Date Event October 2013 Submitted
Institution:	University of Warwick
Theses Department:	Department of English and Comparative Literary Studies
Thesis Type:	PhD
Publication Status:	Unpublished
Supervisor(s)/Advisor:	[Not provided].
Extent:	viii, 337 pages.
Language:	eng

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