This is the sixth of the interview series initiated by the PENTACLE team. The interview is conducted and translated into Turkish by Mahinur Gözde Kasurka, revised by Güvenç Arman Arı, and the final revision is done by Başak Ağın. Türkçe versiyon için buraya tıklayınız.
Stefano Rozzoni holds a PhD in Transcultural Studies in Humanities. He is a Postdoc University Assistant at the University of Graz (Austria), at the Institute of English Studies. His research interests include Ecocriticism, Posthuman Studies, English pastoral poetry, and Virginia Woolf.
Dear Stefano, thank you very much for accepting our invitation for an interview with PENTACLE. You hold the position of one of the co-directors of the Global Posthuman Network. By considering the fruitful activities and events that are organized within this community, how do you think the Global Posthuman Network has transformed your studies and research processes? In what ways being a member of this community has altered your posthuman agenda?
When I was a MA student a few years ago, I remember being eager to learn more about posthumanism, which I had discovered by serendipitously encountering the work of Rosi Braidotti.[1] However, at that time, I did not have an environment around me to discuss or further explore this topic. The GPN online platform[2], therefore, became my first point of reference to look for names of scholars, artists and people involved in the field, and where to find materials to start creating my first research bibliographies on posthumanism. This is how I also began building my posthuman community: the ease of connecting with other people worldwide through the GPN struck me, and today I am happy to say that I engaged in many personal and professional relationships through the network, which feels to me like an empowering and affirmative translation of posthuman theories into practices.
The GPN, therefore, provided an inspiring and creative space for developing my scholarly (and existential) path, while also helping me mature a sense of direction in the complex, rhizomatic, and multivocal landscape of posthumanist studies. I am pleased to observe that, in just a few years, the field has experienced significant growth, becoming both more systematized and transcultural, and gaining popularity not only in philosophy departments but also across many universities.
Through the GPN, I also came to realize that the conversation on posthumanism naturally extends to a global level, which necessitates considering knowledge, traditions, experiences, and practices from diverse cultural contexts. This realization was a welcome relief, aligning with the inclusive, ethical, and pluralistic perspective I sought: not only this perspective provided a counterpoint to the predominantly Eurocentric discourse I had encountered until that point, but also it resonated with my interest in challenging dominant dualistic narratives often associated with the study of my main research interest – the pastoral.
In your dissertation, you delve into past pastoral poems with an end to portray relationality between human and non-human. Could you please briefly lay bare why you think “traditional pastoral poems serve as an inexhaustible re-source, already at hand, for recovering the sense of connectedness in the present-day world between humans and many entities comprising their surrounding environments as a way for ensuring a more sustainable future”? (6, emphasis in the original).
I do not hide the fact that when I wanted to apply the framework of (Critical) Posthumanism in the analysis of the pastoral in literature, some people were skeptical. However, over time, as I solidified my theoretical framework, this proposal gained approval and was appreciated even by scholars not directly involved in posthuman studies.
The pastoral represents a longstanding, yet ongoing, literary, and cultural phenomenon that has for centuries influenced the understanding of the relationship between humans and nonhumans through dualistic, anthropocentric configurations reiterated by dichotomies such as country/city; nature/culture; rural/urban. Due to its popularity, Lawrence Buell defined the pastoral “a species of cultural equipment that western thought has for more than two millennia been unable to do without”[3]. A posthumanist perspective, therefore, enables the negotiation of similarly entrenched and pervasive dualistic constructs, while also inviting an exploration of the tensions inherent in their binaries. Examining the pastoral through the lens of posthumanism becomes a crucial effort in attempting to identify new forms of ethical human-nonhuman relationships that prove valuable in addressing many of the challenges posed by the Anthropocene.
The pastoral, moreover, represents much more than a mere literary phenomenon, as it emerges in a variety of cultural texts, manifesting in an array of subjects, including depictions of shepherd life and rural activities.[4] Therefore, this narrative endures not only in poetry but also in culture, movies, advertisements, memes and in the visual production of Instagram posts. Since the pastoral is a virtually omnipresent in culture, I believe that it offers current critics an incredibly extended array of possibilities to reflect on re-examinations and re-evaluations of entrenched dualisms in culture concerning humans beings and the (natural) environment. This is where the idea of the pastoral as an inexhaustible resource lies – in providing a significant invitation for a long-term practice of refiguring other similar phenomena in culture to address current urgencies.
In what ways do you think Georgian pastoral poems can serve as an appropriate starting point with an end to reveal human and non-human relational impasse of the twenty first century? Why do you consider specifically Georgian pastoral poems work in establishing a non-hierarchical link between nature/culture?
While literary criticism represents a powerful tool for assessing ever-new understandings and interpretations of literary texts, it can also run the risk of reiterating certain values and labels that influence the way one approaches culture, periods, and authors with limited perspectives. This is the case with the Georgians, just another label used to categorize a wide, diverse group of poets writing in Britain between the 1910s and 1930s. For a long time, this term has pigeonholed and critically dismissed many authors based on the idea that their works, in contrast to the avant-gardes and Modernist experimental writing of the same period, were primarily conservative in style. Moreover, they were often seen as neglecting on-going cultural processes in favor of idyllic landscapes and other images deemed as trivial or mere literary diversions.[5]
However, we cannot forget that, even when limiting our perspective to the context of British culture, the transition between the Nineteenth and Twentieth Century was revolutionary for what concerns the understanding of humans and nonhumans, on both an ontological and material level. It suffices to think of the cultural impact of the contribution brough by Darwin’s studies, by biology (the notion of ‘ecology’ first appearing in 1935 by British scholar Arthurs Tansey), and technological advancements in the period. As I observed, Georgian pastoral aesthetics also exhibit traces of this awareness towards human-nonhuman material and ontological inter/intra-connectedness, providing several examples of contemporary critics with opportunities to delve into the liminalities within the seemingly dichotomous representation of the natural environment that Georgians are generally said to present in their poems. Similarly, the idea of an absolute separation of nature and culture, generally attributed to the pastoral as exhibiting dichotomies such as country/city, rural/urban seem too limited to explore the complexity of some manifestations in Georgian poetry, which resonate much more with the domains of post-dualistic concepts such as ‘natureculture’.
While in recent years, greater attention has been dedicated to rediscovering the ecocritical value of relevant Modernist writers, from Virginia Woolf to T.S. Eliot, still limited attention is dedicated to less popular artists or phenomena in the same (and other) period, of which Georgians are just an example. However, from a posthumanist perspective, similar narratives can be seen as valuable opportunities to uncover both the rising awareness of new intuitions regarding human-nonhuman relationalities in a specific period, or to inspire reflections to enrich contemporary discussions on interspecies ethics, naturecultural dynamics, subjectivity, and other topics relevant for posthumanists.
I believe it is the responsibility of today’s scholars to be attentive and critical of established labels and evaluations, which are often assumed as de facto standards, as they may perpetuate latent dualistic, exclusivist, anthropocentric values. This is why I find it necessary, in posthumanist transdisciplinary scholarship, to continually present alternative perspectives for elucidating established critical labels, phenomena, and cultural manifestations.
When you compare the pastoral in past and contemporary texts, what kind of a metamorphosis becomes apparent from a posthumanist perspective? Is it possible to say that the contemporary literary texts offer a problematization of human and non-human ontological spheres in a more apparent manner than the texts that are written in the past? Can we see that twenty-first century cultural productions have a more apparent agenda in reflecting enmeshed network of agents?
In contemporary times, the pastoral has evolved into a wide array of new versions that highlight references to issues such as climate change and pollution within the traditional tropes of pastoral poetry, be it Arcadia, the Golden Age or locus amoenus. Examples of this trend include manifest in recent pastoral phenomena like ‘dark pastoral’ (Sullivan, 2014), ‘necropastoral’ (McSweeney 2015), ‘toxic pastoral’ (Farrier, 2014), among many other pastoral-related neologisms. Terry Gifford introduced a functional concept in 1999 that laid the groundwork for a more ecocritical reimagining of the pastoral. He discussed the emergence of the ‘post-pastoral’ in literature as a “discourse that can both celebrate and take responsibility for nature without false consciousness” (1999, 148, emphasis in original). Phenomena aligning with these critical observations seem more functional in resonating with the ethical challenges of our current time and in problematizing the ontological spheres of human-nonhuman relationships.
However, I contend that even texts from the past, which may not overtly display environmental consciousness, provide valuable insights into human-nonhuman ethical forms of relationality. This should come as no surprise, given that even within philosophical traditions, historical figures like Spinoza and Heraclitus are frequently referenced to underscore the significance of delving into today’s complexity and re-evaluating dualistic mainstream frameworks. Additionally, it is crucial to bear in mind that numerous scholars have emphasized the importance of antiquity in demonstrating the contributions of ancient cultures to prompting a reevaluation of our origins, even in terms of human-nonhuman relationalities.[6]
As Hubert Zapf observed, literature, along with art and culture in general, constitutes a potent archive that requires re-examination and reevaluation in the context of the environmental challenges of our present era: it serves as a means to propose solutions to address these issues[7]. In this sense, we should not forget the peculiarity of poetic language as poietic language, in its capacity to perform and influence culture. Along this line, ancient pastoral poems represent valuable opportunities to discover new forms of human-nonhuman ethical relationality capable of responding to current crises. As I have argued elsewhere[8], even re-imagining literary devices like ‘pathetic fallacy’ (the attribution of human characteristics, emotions and capacities to nonhuman entities, such as plants, animals or other nonhuman inorganic elements), often viewed as encouraging anthropomorphism of the natural world, gains additional significance within the framework of posthumanism. This perspective reveals a sense of attachment or attunement between human and nonhuman entities. Therefore, re-figuring, re-reading, and re-evaluating literary and cultural narratives, as well as critical labels, seem to me to be valuable operations in approaching posthumanism through the tools provided by Literary Studies. This applies to both contemporary and past literary works.
From a wider perspective, how do you think that contemporary pastoral literary texts correspond to a new phase of human and non-human relationality by both embracing the grim reality of environmental catastrophe and envisioning sustainable futures? Can we acknowledge the contemporary pastoral text as an embodiment of posthuman hybridity that departs from binary logic of Western ideal? If so, could you please showcase the situation by making references to some literary texts that will make it easier for the readers to realize the shared agency of human and non-human on the same scale?
In my opinion, contemporary (post-)pastoral texts in modern works shed light on a critical approach to current environmental crises and ideas of sustainable futures. The growing phenomenon of ecopoetry, which often incorporates (post)pastoral elements, is a clear indication of how today’s literary landscape is increasingly attuned to advocating for alternative future scenarios to those characterizing current crises. It is also quite common to come across traces of current emergencies (such as fires, droughts, and floods) in many recent literary and cultural pastoral texts. However, this is not always the case.
Many traditional and dualistic representations of the pastoral persist in contemporary literature, where in many cases the natural world remains a pristine reality detached from human actions. From a posthumanist and ethical standpoint, this presence should prompt inquiries regarding the on-going relevance of dominant dualistic visions of the natural environment and their paradoxical coexistence with the growing awareness of human-nonhuman relationality. It is a habit that I am currently examining in relation other cultural phenomena, such as eco-fascism and green washing in economic and political discourse: despite a rising awareness of more ‘mature’ environmental perspectives, there continues to be a very superficial, dualistic, anthropocentric, ‘green’ discourse that reinforces the discriminatory and violent portrayal of the human/nature relationship. In response to this condition, new forms of posthumanist education may provide ways out touching upon the hardcore, axiomatic understandings in cultural discussion on human-nonhuman intra-relationalities.
In the context of British literature, for instance, this two-fold development of the pastoral can point to recent successful works that prolong traditional pastoral figurative expressions. One can think of non-fiction works by James Rebanks, such as The Shepherd’s Life: A Tale of the Lake District (2015), touted as ‘the Sunday Times number one bestseller,’[9] or English Pastoral: An Inheritance (2020), both published by Penguin Books. They resonate with the enduring myth of the countryside that Raymond Williams identified since his seminal volume The Country and the City (1973). Yet, simultaneously, pastoral tropes are also visible in very different successful manifestations, such as in the poem Arcadia (2021) by Arch Hades. In addition to setting a record as the most expensive poem ever sold and being transformed into a piece of digital fine art at Christie’s New York, the traditional Virgilian trope of the Arcadian setting offers the author an opportunity to delve into modern existential crises in the 21st century. This encompasses themes like anxiety, burnout, and individuality, which in turn, redefine the conventional ideals linked to the pastoral.
So, I would suggest refraining from merely reflecting on either new or past pastorals in their capacity or not to resonate with the urgencies posed by the Anthropocene. Instead, I consider posthumanism as a critical lens to approach cultural narratives in response to current challenges, both in contemporary texts and in the past. It is in this regard that, we can re-evaluate neglected pastoral Georgian verses, such as those offered by D.H. Lawrence’s (much more than a Georgian!) Snake featuring the last volume of Edward Marsh’s popular anthology Georgian Poetry (1922). By depicting the narrator’s introspective contemplation of why they threw a stick at a snake, the poem contemplates the educational framework one receives, which can shape their experiential relationship with the nonhuman world. I leave you with the concluding passage of this remarkable poem, extending an invitation to engage with posthumanism as a productive lens for reevaluating our habits, fostering ever-more inclusive, pluralistic perspectives on various aspects of our culture.
[…]
I thought how paltry, how vulgar, what a mean act!
I despised myself and the voices of my accursed human education.
And I thought of the albatross,
And I wished he would come back, my snake.
For he seemed to me again like a king,
Like a king in exile, uncrowned in the underworld,
Now due to be crowned again.
And so, I missed my chance with one of the lords
Of life.
And I have something to expiate:
A pettiness.
Thank you so much for the interview.
Reference list
Braidotti, Rosi. 2013. The Posthuman, Cambridge: Polity Press.
Buell, Lawrence. 1995. The Environmental Imagination: Thoreau, Nature Writing and the Formation of American Culture. Cambridge, MA; London: Harvard University Press.
Farrier, David. 2014. “Toxic pastoral: comic failure and ironic nostalgia in contemporary British environmental theatre”. Journal of Ecocriticism, 6(2), 1-15.
Gifford, Terry. 1999. Pastoral, London: Routledge.
__., 2020. Pastoral (2nd edition), London: Routledge
Hades Arch. 2022. Arcadia. London: Black Spring Press Group.
Iovino, Serenella. 2017. “Afterword: Revealing Roots – Ecocriticism and the Cultures of Antiquity”. In: Christopher Schliephake (ed) Ecocriticism, Ecology, and the Cultures of Antiquity. Lanham: Lexington Books, pp. 309-316.
Marsh, Edward. 1922. Georgian Poetry 1920-1922. London: The Poetry Bookshop.
McSweeney, Joyelle. 2015. The Necropastoral. Poetry, Media, Occults, Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Rebanks, James. 2016. Shepherd’s Life: A Tale of the Lake District. London: Penguin Books.
___., 2021. English Pastoral: An Inheritance. London: Penguin Books.
Rozzoni, Stefano. 2021.” From ‘pathetic fallacy’ to affective attunement: Reading Virgil’s eclogues through the lens of material ecocriticism”. Substance 50(3), 115-132.
Sullivan, Heather. “The Dark Pastoral: A Trope for the Anthropocene.” German Ecocriticism in the Anthropocene. Eds. C. Schaumann and Heather I. Sullivan. London: Palgrave Macmillan, 2015. 25-44. Print.
Williams, Raymond. 1973. The Country and The City. New York: Oxford University Press.
Zapf, Hubert. “Cultural Ecology, the Environmental Humanities, and the Ecological Archives of Literature.” Colloquia Germanica 53, no. 2/3 (2021): 121–40. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27089543.
[1] In particular I owe my posthuman ‘awakening’ to The Posthuman (2013).
[2] You can access the GPN Platform at the following link: https://www.posthumans.org
[3] See Buell 1995, 32.
[4] For a more attentive discussion on the pastoral, its many different manifestations, and evolution see Gifford, 2020.
[5] I have discussed this topic in Rozzoni 2021.
[6] See, for instance, Serenella Iovino, 2017. Afterword: Revealing Roots – Ecocriticism and the Cultures of Antiquity. In: Christopher Schliephake (ed) Ecocriticism, Ecology, and the Cultures of Antiquity. Lanham: Lexington Books, pp. 309-316.
[7] For a more attentive discussion on this topic, see Zapf 2021.
[8] See Rozzoni, Stefano. 2021. “From ‘pathetic fallacy’ to affective attunement: Reading Virgil’s eclogues through the lens of material ecocriticism”. Substance 50(3), 115-132.
[9] https://www.amazon.it/Shepherds-Life-Tale-Lake-District/dp/0141979364
