From appreciation to dwelling : on the evolution of Hong Kong's non-fiction nature writing = 從賞玩到棲居 : 論香港非虛構自然書寫之演變

Abstract

Recent scholarship on Hong Kong’s nature-oriented literature predominantly looks into fiction. This thesis examines non-fictional prose, so as to highlight the generic feature of nature writing, in which field experience, knowledge and emotions of the author are intertwined. It aims to fill the gap in literary ecocriticism and trace the evolving trajectory of Hong Kong’s nature writing since the 1930s. How do these texts reflect the interrelationship between humans, non-human beings and the environment? How do they interact with the environmental discourse in Hong Kong over time? In particular, this study focuses on three types of nature writing—travel accounts of the countryside, plant and animal writing, as well as pastoral writing. Borrowing the theoretical lens of “mobility” and “sense of place” from human geography, this thesis explicates how various mobilities in the texts alter human-nature relations and present the possibility of “nature as a place”. It first explores how different ways of walking shape the travelers’ perceptions towards the countryside. It then illustrates the influence of interactive dynamics between human and non-human beings on the imagination of a cohabiting place. Eventually, it elaborates how the author establishes a profound connection with the land through farming. Despite the distinctive development and internal heterogeneity of each type, the texts generally demonstrate a turn from the anthropocentric, urban identified topophilia to the nature-oriented topophilia. It shows humans gradually move beyond their experiences of leisure, stop manipulating nature, and (re-)learn to dwell with it in the Anthropocene.