"I Am the Eternal Green Man": Holistic Ecology in Reading Patrick Ness's "A Monster Calls"

Autor/in	Yarova, Aliona
Titel	"I Am the Eternal Green Man": Holistic Ecology in Reading Patrick Ness's "A Monster Calls"
Quelle	In: Children's Literature in Education, 51 (2020) 4, S.466-479 (14 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Zusatzinformation	ORCID (Yarova, Aliona)
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	0045-6713
DOI	10.1007/s10583-019-09388-3
Schlagwörter	Childrens Literature; Environmental Education; Ecology; Holistic Approach; Novels; Forestry + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? 'Children''s literature'; Kinderliteratur; Umweltbildung; Umwelterziehung; Umweltpädagogik; Ökologie; Holistischer Ansatz; Novel; Roman; Forstwissenschaft; Waldwirtschaft
Abstract	Holistic ecology considers nature and society as a whole, viewing humans and the environment as interdependent and interconnected. This article takes the lens of holistic ecology to examine the representation of human--nature relationships in Patrick Ness's "A Monster Calls" (2011) and explores how the novel guides the child reader to an environmental mind-set beyond overt didacticism. The article focuses on two aspects of the bond between the magical tree and the human characters in the novel: how the powerful tree empowers humans and how the human characters contribute to the tree's expressions of power. The eternal Green Man--as the tree introduces itself--embodies this bond by being simultaneously tree-like and human-like, a complex merger of "the Green" (nature) and "the Man" (humanity). The monster-tree fulfils several powerful and empowering roles, such as monster and storyteller, destructive force and powerful healer, savage and philosopher, nightmare and escape. Importantly, it always keeps the shape of a yew tree. As such, "A Monster Calls" can contribute to children's environmental education by illustrating the connection between the natural environment and humans: the eternal bond between "the Green" and "the Man." (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2024/1/01