This paper is meant to depict in which ways popular culture is dealing with ecocritic questions and motifs of anthropocentrism. ‘Avatar’ by James Cameron has been chosen as an object of investigation, since it is a piece of popular culture which has attained a massive popularity at the end of the previous decade.
It can therefore be seen as a rather modern representation of our society, keeping in mind that the movie has met a greatly positive resonance within a worldwide audience, occupying the first position in the box-office index ‘Top 100 – Films of all time worldwide gross’ and has obtained 73 awards and another 148 nominations. The environmental message behind it can easily be assumed by the average spectator and has also been discussed by Cameron himself during several interviews, but this essay plans on further analyzing the different motifs used in this work which contribute to this perception, regarding elements of ecocriticism and representations of anthropocentrism within the story and its realization.
The plan is to have a look at articles published by popular magazines dealing with the perception and potential messages behind the movie and to do an ecocritical reading of the movie with these perceptions in mind. On the one hand, the movie has enjoyed an overall positive resonance and high rankings by movie critics. One could argue that the underlying environmental message has raised awareness for the preciousness and vulnerability of the world we live in, which can be seen in the amount of environmental discussions evoked by the film and its plenty reviews dealing with the intended message behind the story. Manola Dargis has argued that “with blue people and pink blooms he [Cameron] has confirmed its [cinema’s] wonder”, other critics such as Michael Graham Richard have called it a “Big Movie with Big Environmental themes” and noted that “it's pretty obvious that the movie has an important green theme”. Usually, movies and other literary works conveying “big themes” do not gain positive resonance only, and that is what the paper is interested in.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Ecocriticism & Anthropocentrism
- Ecocritical discussions evoked by the film
- The Relationship between Humans and the Environment as Represented in Avatar
- Conclusion
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
This paper examines how popular culture tackles ecocritical questions and themes of anthropocentrism. Focusing on James Cameron's Avatar, the paper analyzes the film's environmental message, exploring ecocritical elements and representations of anthropocentrism in the story and its realization.
- The growing relevance of environmental issues in contemporary society.
- The representation of human-nature relationships in popular culture, specifically through the lens of ecocriticism.
- The exploration of anthropocentrism and its implications for environmental stewardship.
- The analysis of themes and motifs in Avatar that contribute to its ecocritical message.
- An examination of critical reception and the film's potential impact on environmental awareness.
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
- Introduction: The introduction sets the stage for the paper by discussing the increasing prominence of environmental discourses in modern society. It highlights the importance of analyzing popular culture's response to these concerns, using Avatar as a case study due to its widespread popularity and its explicit environmental message.
- Ecocriticism & Anthropocentrism: This chapter defines ecocriticism and related terms like anthropocentrism, biocentrism, and ecocentrism. It provides a historical overview of ecocriticism, highlighting its emergence as a field of study in the late 20th century and its focus on representing the relationship between humans and the environment in cultural production.
- Ecocritical discussions evoked by the film: This chapter delves into the critical reception of Avatar, showcasing the diverse perspectives on the film's environmental message. It analyzes the arguments made by various critics, highlighting both positive and negative interpretations of the film's ecocritical themes.
- The Relationship between Humans and the Environment as Represented in Avatar: This chapter focuses on the film's narrative and visual elements, exploring how Avatar portrays the relationship between humans and the environment. It analyzes the film's depiction of the Na'vi culture, the destructive impact of human technology, and the potential for reconciliation between humans and nature.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This paper explores key concepts such as ecocriticism, anthropocentrism, environmental awareness, popular culture, film analysis, environmental themes, and the impact of media on environmental discourse. The analysis of James Cameron's Avatar serves as a case study to understand how these concepts are intertwined in contemporary cultural production.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Kira Fleckenstein (Autor:in), 2017, Ecocritical Reading of James Camerons "Avatar", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/379504
