Abstract
Timothy Morton’s ecological thought considers everything internal and external for the purpose of reframing thinking about the world and how we exist in it. When applied to literature, this ecological thought is the textual fabric of the work formed by the author’s intentions, everything unconsciously revealed as symptoms of the author’s social context, worldview, education, location, time, class etc., and all the ways readers respond to the internal literary ecosystems. Dense with ecologies, Abraham Varghese’s The Covenant of Water follows a family through the end of colonialism into the late twentieth century, a time of existential crisis for both the nation and for the Southern region of India where this family grows. The diegetic social systems drive the narrative towards a compassionate end through the complexities of time, geography, natural ecology, of everything Morton considers in the ecological thought. Water demonstrates the diverse internal ecology carrying many dialogues, but it is when the reader considers the social ecological thought that we discover an interconnectedness establishing complex thinking as a way to move towards a reconciliation and healing. By following Varghese’s use of the specific ecology of family, we begin to see the diegetic and non-diegetic inclusion of everything into that ecology which creates the pre-conditions necessary for all types of restoration. As a medical doctor, Varghese desires us to come to terms with the uncurable wounds of life and this sense of healing internal to the story is supposed to be therapeutic for the ecology of the reader’s own soul.
Start Time
16-4-2025 11:00 AM
End Time
16-4-2025 12:00 PM
Room Number
304
Presentation Type
Oral Presentation
Presentation Subtype
Grad/Non-comp Orals
Presentation Category
Art and Humanities
Faculty Mentor
Matthew Holtmeier
How Abraham Varghese’s Ecologies Begin the Healing Process in "The Covenant of Water"
304
Timothy Morton’s ecological thought considers everything internal and external for the purpose of reframing thinking about the world and how we exist in it. When applied to literature, this ecological thought is the textual fabric of the work formed by the author’s intentions, everything unconsciously revealed as symptoms of the author’s social context, worldview, education, location, time, class etc., and all the ways readers respond to the internal literary ecosystems. Dense with ecologies, Abraham Varghese’s The Covenant of Water follows a family through the end of colonialism into the late twentieth century, a time of existential crisis for both the nation and for the Southern region of India where this family grows. The diegetic social systems drive the narrative towards a compassionate end through the complexities of time, geography, natural ecology, of everything Morton considers in the ecological thought. Water demonstrates the diverse internal ecology carrying many dialogues, but it is when the reader considers the social ecological thought that we discover an interconnectedness establishing complex thinking as a way to move towards a reconciliation and healing. By following Varghese’s use of the specific ecology of family, we begin to see the diegetic and non-diegetic inclusion of everything into that ecology which creates the pre-conditions necessary for all types of restoration. As a medical doctor, Varghese desires us to come to terms with the uncurable wounds of life and this sense of healing internal to the story is supposed to be therapeutic for the ecology of the reader’s own soul.