۱۰th International Conference on Language, Literature, Culture Tracing the Footsteps of Ecofeminism in and History Studies Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and W. W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw"

Literary critics enjoy ecofeminism to examine the linkage between the oppression of women and nature in literary works. Scholars of ecofeminism believe that this theory takes a fresh look at improving the difficult living conditions of the subordinated women and discusses the ecological issues which have been mostly ignored by human beings, especially, in patriarchal societies. Since the relation between female characters and nature has been overlooked in Washington Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and W. W. Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw," in this article, I compare these two short stories, focusing on the representation of nature, the role of women, and the effect of patriarchy on women and nature. This article aims to explore Irving's and Jacobs's viewpoints about the connection between women and nature. Employing the important ecofeminist concepts, such as Val Plumwood's dualism, I study Irving's "Rip Van Winkle" and Jacobs's "The Monkey's Paw" through the eyes of ecofeminism. The Findings show that the power of patriarchy has harmful effects on female characters and nature in these two short stories. In conclusion, this study reveals that "Rip Van Winkle" and "The Monkey's Paw" can be considered as ecofeminist works of fiction because they deal with ecological and feminist issues.

Keywords:

Washington Irving , William Wymark Jacobs , ecofeminism , women , nature , patriarchy