Ecological Concerns in The Waste Land: A Poststructuralist Reading

Abstract

The Waste Land constructs its own unique ecosystem through its fragmentary yet interconnected structure and invites readers to read it through an ecological lens, potentially re-establishing the relevance of the poem similar to its initial reception when published in 1922. The anxiety present within the poem arises from a separation not only among people, but also from people's separation from the natural world. A poststructuralist reading of the poem evokes the latent strain of the poem that is the corrosion of nature engendering the waste land. This methodology seeks to bridge the gap between ecology and theory.