An Ecocritical Study of Sarah Orne Jewett’s The Country of the Pointed Firs

Abstract

The main purpose of this thesis is to analyze whether the way of living depicted by Jewett was realistic or rather an idealization of life in rural areas and, also, which factors contribute to it being sustainable. Moreover, I aim at clarifying the role of women and the community in protecting and perpetuating this lifestyle, since a good, equitable relationship among the members of the community seems to be key to its survival, for care, cooperation, and a fair distribution of resources depend on it. In the first section –“The Author and her Time”– I introduce the writer and her work, focusing on the characteristic traits of the genre she cultivated, local color. The second section –“Communion with Nature”– starts the literary analysis of the work. It deals with the importance of communion with nature in Country, for the survival of this community seems to depend on its ability to adapt to the land. In the third section –“Women and Community in The Country of the Pointed Firs”– I analyze the connection between women, nature, and community in Country. First, I delve on the reasons why this small town is constituted predominantly by women and how these characters challenge the dominant gender constructs. Then, I analyze the connection between women and the making of this community, as well as the importance with which community life is infused