The development of eco-criticism in contemporary British fiction with particular attention to the reconfiguration of nature, responsibility, and temporality in the Anthropocene era. Since the post-1950s period, British literature has increasingly responded to rapid urbanization, technological expansion, neoliberal capitalism, and climate crisis by foregrounding complex human–environment relationships. Drawing upon eco-critical theory, this study explores how contemporary novels challenge anthropocentric paradigms and reconceptualize nature not as a passive backdrop but as an active, dynamic presence intertwined with human agency. Through close textual analysis of works such as Waterland by Graham Swift, Solar by Ian McEwan, and Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood*, the paper investigates representations of environmental justice, climate change, and ecological interdependence. It argues that these narratives reshape literary form by disrupting linear temporality, employing fragmented structures, and foregrounding ethical uncertainty in response to planetary crisis. The study further contends that contemporary eco-fiction not only reflects environmental degradation but also encourages readers to reconsider collective responsibility and socio-political engagement. By situating contemporary British fiction within the broader discourse of the Anthropocene, this paper highlights literature’s role in cultivating ecological consciousness and redefining the boundaries between human and non-human worlds.
Keywords
Eco-criticismContemporary British FictionAnthropoceneClimate ChangeEnvironmental JusticeNarrative TemporalityHuman–Environment Relationship
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Hriday Kant Pandey (2026). Eco-criticism in Contemporary British Fiction. ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal, 2(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.70650/rpimj.2026v2i100003
Hriday Kant Pandey. “Eco-criticism in Contemporary British Fiction.” ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, 2026, pp. 16–25. https://doi.org/10.70650/rpimj.2026v2i100003
Hriday Kant Pandey. “Eco-criticism in Contemporary British Fiction.” ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal 2, no. 1 (2026): 16–25. https://doi.org/10.70650/rpimj.2026v2i100003
Hriday Kant Pandey (2026) ‘Eco-criticism in Contemporary British Fiction’, ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal, 2(1), pp. 16–25. Available at: https://doi.org/10.70650/rpimj.2026v2i100003.
Hriday Kant Pandey, “Eco-criticism in Contemporary British Fiction,” ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal, vol. 2, no. 1, pp. 16–25, 2026. https://doi.org/10.70650/rpimj.2026v2i100003.
Hriday Kant Pandey. Eco-criticism in Contemporary British Fiction. ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal. 2026;2(1):16–25. https://doi.org/10.70650/rpimj.2026v2i100003.
Hriday Kant Pandey. Eco-criticism in Contemporary British Fiction. ResearchPro International Multidisciplinary Journal 2026, 2 (1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.70650/rpimj.2026v2i100003.
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