The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory

In a world that has become increasingly industrialized and materialistic, one crucial question that has emerged is how literary works evoke a sense of eco-critical concerns regarding nature. In some literary works, nature serves merely as the setting. In some works, nature serves more than the needs...

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Main Authors: Zainal , Zainor Izat, Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
Format: Article
Language:English
English
Published: CG Publisher 2009
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Online Access:http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17318/1/The%20role%20of%20nature%20in%20Tash%20Aw%27s%20the%20harmony%20silk%20factory.pdf
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spelling oai:psasir.upm.edu.my:17318 http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17318/ The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory Zainal , Zainor Izat Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam In a world that has become increasingly industrialized and materialistic, one crucial question that has emerged is how literary works evoke a sense of eco-critical concerns regarding nature. In some literary works, nature serves merely as the setting. In some works, nature serves more than the needs of a colourful setting. It becomes an active character and an active participant in its own representation. It is accorded varied roles, as my paper will demonstrate. This paper looks at Tash Aw’s The Harmony Silk Factory, which is set in colonial Malaysia in the 1930s and ‘40s, and divided into three parts; each part is narrated by a narrator who is also an important character in the novel. Jasper, Snow and Peter each gives their personal account of who is Johnny Lim, Jasper’s father, known as a successful merchant, petty crook and great inventor. As is the case for novels set in postcolonial societies such as India, Singapore and Africa, one could easily mistake Aw, who was brought up in Malaysia but now resides in England, as another postcolonial writer, writing against the West. Initially, that was what Aw set out to do. The reader discovers soon enough that the writer not only infuses nature-based symbols and imagery but also highlights the interconnectedness between humanity and nature. Ultimately, this paper hopes to demonstrate that Aw’s representations of the natural world not only add to the aesthetical value of the novel, but it also resonates with notable ecological sentiments. CG Publisher 2009 Article PeerReviewed application/pdf en http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17318/1/The%20role%20of%20nature%20in%20Tash%20Aw%27s%20the%20harmony%20silk%20factory.pdf Zainal , Zainor Izat and Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam (2009) The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory. The International Journal of Interdisciplinary Social Sciences, 4 (1). pp. 305-312. ISSN 1833-1882 Comparative literature - English and Malaysian Psychological fiction Aesthetics English
institution UPM IR
collection UPM IR
language English
English
topic Comparative literature - English and Malaysian
Psychological fiction
Aesthetics
spellingShingle Comparative literature - English and Malaysian
Psychological fiction
Aesthetics
Zainal , Zainor Izat
Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory
description In a world that has become increasingly industrialized and materialistic, one crucial question that has emerged is how literary works evoke a sense of eco-critical concerns regarding nature. In some literary works, nature serves merely as the setting. In some works, nature serves more than the needs of a colourful setting. It becomes an active character and an active participant in its own representation. It is accorded varied roles, as my paper will demonstrate. This paper looks at Tash Aw’s The Harmony Silk Factory, which is set in colonial Malaysia in the 1930s and ‘40s, and divided into three parts; each part is narrated by a narrator who is also an important character in the novel. Jasper, Snow and Peter each gives their personal account of who is Johnny Lim, Jasper’s father, known as a successful merchant, petty crook and great inventor. As is the case for novels set in postcolonial societies such as India, Singapore and Africa, one could easily mistake Aw, who was brought up in Malaysia but now resides in England, as another postcolonial writer, writing against the West. Initially, that was what Aw set out to do. The reader discovers soon enough that the writer not only infuses nature-based symbols and imagery but also highlights the interconnectedness between humanity and nature. Ultimately, this paper hopes to demonstrate that Aw’s representations of the natural world not only add to the aesthetical value of the novel, but it also resonates with notable ecological sentiments.
format Article
author Zainal , Zainor Izat
Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
author_facet Zainal , Zainor Izat
Wan Yahya, Wan Roselezam
author_sort Zainal , Zainor Izat
title The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory
title_short The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory
title_full The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory
title_fullStr The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory
title_full_unstemmed The role of nature in Tash Aw's the harmony silk factory
title_sort role of nature in tash aw's the harmony silk factory
publisher CG Publisher
publishDate 2009
url http://psasir.upm.edu.my/id/eprint/17318/1/The%20role%20of%20nature%20in%20Tash%20Aw%27s%20the%20harmony%20silk%20factory.pdf
_version_ 1819294123386994688
score 13.4562235