Japanese Eco-cinema in Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke
Major
English – Literature
Submission Type
Oral Presentation
Area of Study or Work
English-Literature
Expected Graduation Date
2023
Location
CNS E102 1.2 Making Meaning: Decoding Inscriptions, Literary Echoes, and Eco-Cinema
Start Date
4-15-2023 9:00 AM
End Date
4-15-2023 10:00 AM
Abstract
In the Anthropocene, it is more important than ever to consider the fields that promote ecological consciousness and activism. While ecocriticism is a valuable theoretical model that is applicable to a wide range of humanities disciplines, most humanities scholars tend to apply ecocriticism to their analysis of literary texts. Yet, this literary emphasis creates a lack of the specific, and necessary, terminology and frameworks needed when engaging with the genre of film. I seek to expand this range by delving into the intersection between ecocriticism and film, eco-cinema. Eco-cinema, also known as cinematic ecocriticism or green film criticism, is broadly defined as a category of media that concerns itself with the exploration of environmental issues by making nature a primary focus. With the intention of shaping ecological perceptions and actions, eco-cinema stems across a variety of genres and modes of production. In this essay I seek to engage with and add onto current scholarship in this intersection through case studies of Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke. Through the close examination of key scenes, thematic devices, and filmic techniques, I showcase nature as a force of agency (rather than as a simplistic foreground in which humanity exists), a key facet of the eco-cinematic framework. Within this focus on agency I emphasize the sentience of natural beings, nature-driven plot, and a subversion of anthropocentric notions of power as guiding characteristics of the case studies. Furthermore, this study references film, journals, books, interviews, documentaries, planning memos, and primary source material. The unique nature of Miyazaki’s films are how they teach us to reassess our perception of nature, not just as a resource to be exploited for profit or a wildness to be tamed, but as a source of vitality amongst which all things must prosper together. These films encourage us to reexamine our role in the natural world and seek, among all the ecological tragedies, a hope for the future.
Japanese Eco-cinema in Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke
CNS E102 1.2 Making Meaning: Decoding Inscriptions, Literary Echoes, and Eco-Cinema
In the Anthropocene, it is more important than ever to consider the fields that promote ecological consciousness and activism. While ecocriticism is a valuable theoretical model that is applicable to a wide range of humanities disciplines, most humanities scholars tend to apply ecocriticism to their analysis of literary texts. Yet, this literary emphasis creates a lack of the specific, and necessary, terminology and frameworks needed when engaging with the genre of film. I seek to expand this range by delving into the intersection between ecocriticism and film, eco-cinema. Eco-cinema, also known as cinematic ecocriticism or green film criticism, is broadly defined as a category of media that concerns itself with the exploration of environmental issues by making nature a primary focus. With the intention of shaping ecological perceptions and actions, eco-cinema stems across a variety of genres and modes of production. In this essay I seek to engage with and add onto current scholarship in this intersection through case studies of Hayao Miyazaki’s Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind and Princess Mononoke. Through the close examination of key scenes, thematic devices, and filmic techniques, I showcase nature as a force of agency (rather than as a simplistic foreground in which humanity exists), a key facet of the eco-cinematic framework. Within this focus on agency I emphasize the sentience of natural beings, nature-driven plot, and a subversion of anthropocentric notions of power as guiding characteristics of the case studies. Furthermore, this study references film, journals, books, interviews, documentaries, planning memos, and primary source material. The unique nature of Miyazaki’s films are how they teach us to reassess our perception of nature, not just as a resource to be exploited for profit or a wildness to be tamed, but as a source of vitality amongst which all things must prosper together. These films encourage us to reexamine our role in the natural world and seek, among all the ecological tragedies, a hope for the future.