A Mitten of Bird (With original writing, Poetry).

This thesis project consists of two sections: the first is a collection of my own poetry, chiefly lyric, but also narrative and confessional, written for this project; the second is a paper on my poetics, in which I explore ecopoetry, with a focus on how my work fits within the genre both stylistically and thematically, and on my writing in relation to other poets on the subject of nature. The paper opens with a general introduction to both the genre of ecoliterature and the field of ecocriticism, followed by a synopsis of the grounding of my youth in the natural world. This broad contextualizing is followed by a review of issues pertinent to the genre: definitions of ecopoetry, use of pathetic fallacy, ethical representation of the \u27voice\u27 of nature, and concerns regarding ecopolitical advocacy. The ideas of the following critics, among others, are included in the discussion of these concerns: David Abram, M. H. Abrams, Jonathon Bate, J. Scott Bryson, Lawrence Buell, Terry Gifford, David Gilchrest, Cheryll Glotfelty, Stephan Haag, Gabriele Helms, Mark Long, Christopher Manes, Diana Relke, Leonard Scigaj, and Eric Todd Smith. Comparisons are made between my work and that of major poets in the areas of language treatment (primarily sound and syntax); pathetic fallacy; representation of dualism; communication between humanity and the non-human as expressed explicitly in poetic content; and \u27voicing\u27 the natural world. This analysis includes works by Margaret Atwood, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Robert Kroetsch, D. H. Lawrence, Don McKay, Lorine Niedecker, E. J. Pratt, Al Purdy, and Fred Wah. Source: Masters Abstracts International, Volume: 43-01, page: 0058. Adviser: Susan Holbrook. Thesis (M.A.)--University of Windsor (Canada), 2004