When Ecocriticism and Rhetoric Meet: Environ-mental Persuasion in Terrorists of The Aberdare

Abstract

This article demonstrates the criticism of eco-activist literature through rhetoric theory by experimenting with such a method in an analysis of Nganga Mbugua’s Terrorists of the Aberdare (2009). In this work, I take eco-criticism to mean the ecologically informed criticism of literary works, and ecocriticism as an umbrella term generally concerned with humanities-based studies of environmental representation. I argue that since eco-criticism reads eco-activist literature as a tool of influencing audiences concerning human relations with the nonhuman, eco-criticism can incorporate rhetoric theory as a methodological support for textual analysis, and a step towards theorising literary eco-activism. I assert that a theory of persuasion, if employed in literary analysis, can enrich interpretation and eventually enable a set of eco-persuasive literary devices to emerge in line with the political purpose of ecocriticism. The first part of the article discusses eco-literary activism as a point of convergence between the two fields, ecocriticism and rhetoric, while the second part demonstrates how a rhetorical literary analysis may proceed, pointing out the possible benefits of such a method.

Opsomming

Hierdie artikel demonstreer die kritiek van eko-aktivis literatuur deur retoriese teorie, en eksperimenteer voorts met sodanige metode in ’n ontleding van Nganga Mbugua se Terrorists of the Aberdare (2009). In hierdie studie gebruik ek “eko-kritiek” vir die ekologiesgefundeerde kritiek van literêre werke, en “ekokritiek” die oorkoepelende term vir alle geesteswetenskaplike studies van omgewingsuitbeelding. Ek argumen­teer dat aangesien eko-kritiek letterkunde as ’n instrument beskou om lesers se opvatting oor die verhouding tussen die mens en die nie-mens te beïnvloed, eko-kritiek retoriese teorie kan inkorporeer as metodologiese steunmiddel vir die ontleding van tekste en ʼn treë nader gee aan die teoretisering van literêre eko-aktivisme. Ek voer aan dat die retorieka as ’n oorredingsteorie, indien dit in literêre ontleding gebruik word, interpretasie kan verryk en uiteindelik ’n stel eko-oorredende literêre tegnieke kan voortbring in ooreenstemming met die politieke oogmerk van die ekokritiek. Die eerste deel van die artikel bespreek eko-literêre aktivisme as 'n punt van konvergensie tussen die twee velde, eko-kritiek en die retorika, terwyl die tweede deel demonstreer hoe retoriese literêre ontleding aangepak kan word, met verwysing na die moontlike voordele van sodanige metode.